Does sex have any erotic purpose? Does it advance the lover's goal? Is sex what the lover really wants? The greatest philosophers of classical antiquity say no. According to one argument, it is not love which aims at sex or which seeks to express itself through sex. It is sex which aims at love. Professor Halperin examines this argument and connects it with forms of contemporary gay male eroticism.

David M. Halperin is the W. H. Auden Distinguished University Professor of the History and Theory of Sexuality at the University of Michigan, where he is also Professor of English Language and Literature, Women’s Studies, Comparative Literature, and Classical Studies.