Liquid Love: On the Frailty of Human BondsThis book is about the central figure of our contemporary, ‘liquid modern’ times – the man or woman with no bonds, and particularly with none of the fixed or durable bonds that would allow the effort of self-definition and self-assertion to come to a rest. Having no permanent bonds, the denizen of our liquid modern society must tie whatever bonds they can to engage with others, using their own wits, skill and dedication. But none of these bonds are guaranteed to last. Moreover, they must be tied loosely so that they can be untied again, quickly and as effortlessly as possible, when circumstances change – as they surely will in our liquid modern society, over and over again. The uncanny frailty of human bonds, the feeling of insecurity that frailty inspires, and the conflicting desires to tighten the bonds yet keep them loose, are the principal themes of this important new book by Zygmunt Bauman, one of the most original and influential social thinkers of our time. It will be of great interest to students and scholars in sociology and in the social sciences and humanities generally, and it will appeal to anyone interested in the changing nature of human relationships. |
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action asked attraction become bonds bound bring camps cause chance choice closely comes commitment complete condition connections consumer culture demand desire economy effectively effort enter expected experience expression fact fall fear feel future global ground grow hand hold homo hope human identity individual inside intention keep kind less liquid modern living longer look matter means mixophilia mobile moral natural never object offer once particularly past perhaps person political problems promise proximity question reach reason refugees relations relationship remain residents risks rule seems separate sexual shared short social society sole sovereign space stay strangers success suggests sure tend territory things truth turn uncertainty unlike urban virtual wish