Empire of the Gods makes a major and original contribution to the literature on love. The history of Eros is its attempted liberation into wholeness and individuality. Its modern expression as a flesh-monism requires expansion to include reason and spirit (including Agape), the classical, to include affect and flesh. The illicit character of the Romantic Love of the Twelfth Century (seen as two versions: Utopian and Historical) provides a radical key not only to synthesis but also to surmounting oppressive enculturation, particularly in the marriage institution. Relationship is the synthesizing focus of illicit love, philosophical dialogue and psychotherapy.
"Jim Davies' book, 'Empire of the Gods: The Liberation of Eros', is one of the finest treatments of the subject of love and reason which I have had the good fortune to tackle - and I use the word 'tackle' advisedly. It is not intended for the novice since it assumes much and leaves much unexplained and unargued. While Davies' presentation and argument is very dense and tight, reading this book is well worth the effort since it focuses on an important but often overlooked theme in the history of Western thought, i.e., the place, role and nature of 'classical' reason in human life. While modern science has proved to be a benefit to us in many ways, one of its legacies has been a much impoverished understanding of human reason and its significance for human flourishing. Dr. Davies goes a long way toward restoring it to its rightful place. This book is a must reading for anyone who has a serious interest in the history of Western thought, both religious and secular, and Western literature. The chapters on 'The Face of Love' and 'Transcendence' are particularly rewarding. Alfred North Whitehead once described western civilization as a footnote to Plato; Davies shows just how accurate that assessment is." (William Christensen, University of Saskatchewan)
"Davies addresses contemporary cultured despisers of love, using classical theories to diagnose our broken condition and prescribing a new synthesis of classical love, historical romantic love and agape to heal it. A courageous, challenging book." (James Horne, University of Waterloo)
"Davies addresses contemporary cultured despisers of love, using classical theories to diagnose our broken condition and prescribing a new synthesis of classical love, historical romantic love and agape to heal it. A courageous, challenging book." (James Horne, University of Waterloo)