ABSTRACT
Our aim in this chapter is to trace three major strands of the philosophy of love in Europe during the 17th to 18th centuries. The first is a natural right-based conception of love partly developing traditional theological patterns, partly relying on the results of the new mechanical sciences. The second is a hedonistic conception developing through a first phase of complementing the natural right conception to a second phase of becoming a sarcastic critic of all natural right conceptions. The third strand is the distinctive contributions of women philosophers of the age.
