尼剋拉斯·盧曼（Niklas Luhmann，1927—1998），與哈貝馬斯齊名的當代德國社會學傢，比勒費爾德大學社會學教授。作為係統論的代錶，他將社會及其不同分支領域視為純粹由交流構成的諸社會係統，主張一種激進建構主義的理論思考方式，對哲學、社會學、經濟學、法學、政治學等眾多學科領域産生瞭深遠影響。代錶作包括《社會係統》《社會的社會》《社會的經濟》《社會的科學》等，《作為激情的愛情》是他最受大眾歡迎的一部著作。

"I believe that Luhmann is the only true genius in the social sciences alive today. By this, I mean that not only is he smart, extremely productive, and amazingly erudite, though all this is true enough, but also that he has, in the course of an improbable career, elaborated a theory of the social that completely reinvents sociology and destroys its most cherished dogmas." So wrote Stephen Fuchs in his "Contemporary Sociology" review of Luhmann's major theoretical work, "Social Systems" (Stanford, 1995). In this volume, Luhmann analyzes the evolution of love in Western Europe from the seventeenth century to the present. "Reviews" "Luhmann's unique, monumental, theory-building effort is best described as a consistent attempt to deploy the tools and the inspirations of three strategies: modern information theory, structuralism, and evolutionary theory. . . . Perhaps nothing conveys more poignantly Luhmann's unusual blend of scientific precision with artistic sensibility than his replacement of Parson's 'reciprocity of perspective' with his own 'interpersonal interpenetration.' The first is cool, calculating, cognitive, and dispassionate; the second connotes a richness of relationship that leaves no human faculty unmoved. . . . Luhmann's work is important because, arguably, it comes closer than all other sociological strategies to restoring the lost link between academically reputable social theorizing and the subjective experience of life." "--American Journal of Sociology" "There is a dearth of analytical writing about the emotions and sentiments that seem to motivate most human action, at least in everyday discussion, although some researchers are making some efforts to remedy this situation. Luhmann's "Love as Passion" is an outstanding contribution to this emerging trend . . . full of novel information and fascinating ideas." "--Contemporary Sociology"