On Desire - Why We Want What We Want (Electronic book text)

Often, we don't choose our desires; desires choose us, and we frequently get carried away by them. But if we want to lead fulfilled and meaningful lives, we must learn to control them, to sift through and pursue the important ones; in short, to master our desires. Enter Irvine's "On Desire," a book which turns desire inside-out - to explore how and why desires arise, how they affect our lives, what advice exists from both religious and philosophical thinkers on mastering desire, and what methods they have pursued to achieve that goal. Irvine first turns to the science of desire, summarizing popular philosophy of mind theories, the veto-power of emotion over intellect, what we can and cannot know about the unconscious mind, and his theory that we have an incentive system biologically wired in us, which shapes and motivates our particular desires. He brings together a broad range of religious advice on mastering desire, from the Buddhist middle path to the promise of a glorious Christian or Islamic afterlife.; But Irvine also heeds the less well-known religious groups, such as the Hutterites, Shakers, and Amish, whose doctrines of self-denial and self-sacrifice for the good of God and the larger Amish community, he argues, are aimed at curbing desires by losing the self. In philosophy, Irvine draws from the Stoic tracts of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca, who taught ways in which to desire only what one already possesses or what is in one's power to control and achieve. He goes on to discuss the "eccentric" lifestyles of Diogenes and Thoreau, parsing their strange behavior in terms of their attempts to avoid the inundation of pressures and wants of mainstream society. In the end, Irvine will cull the important elements of all these theories to defend the argument that mastering desire is important, in order to differentiate us from other species, evolving from what we are hardwired to want, and most of all, in order to lead meaningful lives and appreciate being content in a world motivated by endless want.