Summary
The Evolution of Love by Emil Lucka is a philosophical and cultural-historical exploration of how the concept of love has developed across human history.
Rather than treating love merely as a biological instinct or a literary trope, Lucka presents love as a social, emotional, and intellectual phenomenon that evolved through different eras and civilizations.
He traces love from primitive erotic impulses, through the spiritualization of love in medieval courtly traditions, to modern romantic ideals.
The book examines how love became linked to individualism, personal freedom, and emotional expression, shaped by religion, art, and philosophy.
Lucka discusses key moments and figures—drawing from mythology, classical antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance—showing how love transitioned from a reproductive function to a complex emotional and cultural force.