For Better For Worse : Essays on Sex, Love, Marriage, and More

We are the ultimate social animal. Our intimate relationships are the most important thing in our life, often, more important than life itself?insofar as we would die for those we love. But at a time of unprecedented social and technological change, the path to the intimacy that we seek has been confused, leaving us more connected and yet more alone and uncertain than ever before. Even if you have already determined your destination, even if you have already set sail, this book should help you to navigate the storms and doldrums that lie ahead, and, more important still, to question the very purpose and value of your journey. A tour-de-force: erudite, funny, and even wise. ?Prof Anthony Synott, author of The Body Social and Re-Thinking Men About the author Dr Neel Burton is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine-lover who lives and teaches in Oxford, England. He is a Fellow of Green-Templeton College in the University of Oxford, and the recipient of the Society of Authors? Richard Asher Prize, the British Medical Association?s Young Authors? Award, the Medical Journalists? Association Open Book Award, and a Best in the World Gourmand Award. His work has featured in the likes of Aeon, the Spectator, and the Times, and been translated into several languages. Contents Preface 1. Monogamy 2. Polygamy 3. Polyamory 4. Gender fluidity in gods and heroes 5. Gender variation and same-sex relations in precolonial times 6. The gay revolution 7. Sex, love, and marriage in Ancient Egypt 8. The oldest gays in history 9. Sex, love, and marriage in Ancient Rome 10. The history and psychology of the orgy 11. Love in the Bible 12. Marriage in the Bible 13. Homosexuality in the Bible 14. The meaning of Adam and Eve 15. The history of love 16. The psychology of romantic love 17. The challenges of intimacy 18. The philosophy of trust 19. The philosophy of forgiveness 20. The history of kissing 21. Valentine schmalentine 22. The 7 types of love 23. The philosophy of lust 24. The psychology of sadomasochism 25. The magic of masturbation 26. What we can learn from loners 27. The monastic alternative 28. The philosophy of friendship 29. Touch hunger 30. The history of the wedding in the West 31. A feminist critique of marriage 32. The psychology of the bachelor party 33. The rise and demise of divorce 34. Are married people healthier? 35. The future of the family 36. Should we have children?