Timo Purjo : Understanding Love

This book is a true voyage of exploration across the sea of love, approaching the theme through a logotherapeutic and philosophical perspective. The author, PhD Timo Purjo, examines love as the highest value, a fundamental spiritual capacity, and the deepest meaning of human existence. It leads the reader from foundational philosophical principles to concrete life situations in which love is expressed as an attitude, a responsibility, a decision, and a calling. It draws upon Viktor Frankl's anthropological understanding of the human person, placing emphasis on the role of the will to meaning, self-transcendence, and responsibility in realizing authentic love. The author reflects on love not just as a feeling but as a value that gives direction and purpose to human life. Through philosophical analysis drawing on the insights of M. Scheler, K. Jaspers, E. Fromm, and other important thinkers, Purjo connects the logotherapeutic understanding of meaning with fundamental questions about the nature of love, the challenges it faces, and its potential for growth. Building upon Frankl's concept of WILL TO MEANING as the cornerstone of logotherapy, Purjo expands the framework by guiding the reader toward a conscious and empowered WILL TO LOVE.

The practical dimension of love is also explored as love in interpersonal relationships, in professional settings, love directed toward imperfection, love in suffering and loss, and love for non-human beings and nature. The book includes personal stories that testify to love as a genuine and vital force in life.
What makes this book truly unique is that the author does not write from the position of someone who "knows what love is," but rather as someone who searches, learns, and shares with the reader what he has discovered along the way.

More than a theoretical exploration, this book is an invitation to pause, reflect, and re-examine the ways in which love shapes our decisions, our relationships, and our sense of purpose. It encourages the reader to engage in the courageous act of loving, not as a fleeting emotion, but as an enduring orientation toward the good, the true, and the meaningful. Through this lens, love becomes not only a personal experience but an existential commitment, a spiritual path, and a shared human journey.

"Understanding Love" is a deeply personal yet universal book, philosophical yet warm, academically grounded yet accessible to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of love in their own life.

The author, Timo Purjo (born 1952), holds a PhD in Philosophy. As a Diplomate in Logotherapy, he is an accredited member of the International Association of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis. He is the founder and director of the Viktor Frankl Institute Finland, and he serves as a mentor and advisor to numerous logotherapy institutes and associations. Purjo has decades of teaching and training experience worldwide and is known for his generous commitment to sharing logotherapeutic insights with people facing life's deepest challenges. His strength as a writer lies in his ability to thoughtfully combine and integrate advanced logotherapeutic thinking and deep philosophical research with real, practical life.