»Through her presentation of the history of Western philosophical concepts of love, the philosopher Katarina Majerhold finds that love is constantly repeated as a desire or longing for something we do not have; either because we once had and are struggling to regain (Aristophanes' search of the lost twin soul, Plato's desire to reunite with the immortal gods, and the troubadour's longing for an unattainable lady), or because we cannot perceive the beloved as (s)he is, what person (s)he really is because we are attached to our past notions of people who were important to us. Similarly one-sided and insufficient are the reductionist treatments of modern science, which define love in an exclusively hormonal, immune, and reproductive ‘means’ for establishing intimate bonds and human communities. In her reflection, the author showed that there is no unambiguous approach to love and that various Western concepts still work in us. She also offers us valuable advice that the most important thing is to understand ourselves in accordance with Socrates' statement "know thyself" and to become aware of the various concepts of love that we may accept and replay, even though we are not aware of them at all. And of course let’s consider the new concepts offered by the concept of postmodern compassionate and erotic love«, A.R., Library Velenje, Slovenia.
»I have done a lot of reading in the history of Love and Philosophy and your article is VERY helpful. I really like it and I sincerely appreciate the work that went into it and the writing is clear and accessible. It is one of the better articles on the Internet«, M. J., Director of Mercer University Press, USA. »I am very fond of your work on its systematic approach. It gives a great insight for the history of the concept of love and helps us to understand our contemporary thoughts better«, A.F., Germany.
»I have known Ms. Majerhold, through e-mail correspondence about intellectual matters of mutual interest - on love, erotic love, and sexuality -, for about twenty years. I can tell that she is scholarly, well-read, and energetic. In addition to writing a thesis on love for a Master’s degree (at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana), she has published many scholarly articles, translated many essays, being (managing) editor of a couple of scholarly journals and has worked in various media (television, radio, newspapers)«. A. S., Emeritus Professor and Research Professor, University of New Orleans; Adjunct Associate Professor, Philosophy Department, Drexel University, USA.
»This book is a wonderful combination of ideas and images. In it Majerhold traces the history of humanity’s most important philosophical concept, love. Beginning with the ancient period, and moving through Queer theory, she pairs great visual artwork with philosophical theory. Like an experienced sommelier who knows which cheeses will bring out the hidden flavors in vintage wines, Majerhold surprises and delights the reader. The effect is unfamiliar and sometime demanding on the pallet, yet always rewarding in the end. Accessible enough for the general reader and deep enough for the serious scholar, this book is a valuable addition to the philosophical literature«. S. K., Ph.d., professor of philosophy, John Carrol University, Department of Philosophy, USA.
»Love, its Origin and Modifications is a book which astonishes us with its deep approach and its wide range of treatments and comparisons of different views on the most important human emotion. It inspires us, not only with its remarkable artistic selections, chosen by the author herself, and its outstanding set of quotations but above all with its comparative examination of concepts of love through philosophy, history, literature, art, and religion. We are faced with an excellent and thorough work which, throughout the book, despite its scientific treatment, always remains warm and humane. Such an approach is rare with theoreticians; making this book an even more refreshing contribution to the international literature on the topic and giving it even greater value and a place among the most important worldly works in this format. For all of these reasons we look forward, with great anticipation, to further research by the author on the theories, concepts and notions of topics such as love, kindness, empathy and compassion«, I. R., translator (former translator of the Slovenian embassy in Sweden & Norway).