Desire, a philosophy

Presentation

“What would a life be without desires? It is their variety and intensity that motivate us to act and give us the feeling of being fully alive.”

Desiring to live is not simply being alive. It is letting ourselves be carried away by the vital impulse that leads us to create, to love, to surpass ourselves. It is cultivating the power of desire that is the driving force of our existence. Yet, on a daily basis, we feel many limitations – “I am not capable,” “It’s too risky,” “It’s not for you” – that inhibit us. We are often also prisoners of the impulses of our primary brain, the striatum , and of consumerist propaganda that pushes us to acquire more and more. How can we cultivate the strength of desire without falling into the trap of permanent dissatisfaction or social mimicry? How can we develop our vital power without self-censorship? How can we learn to direct our desires towards things, activities, or people that make us grow and bring us joy?
From Plato to René Girard, including Buddha, Aristotle, Epicurus, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Jung, and Bergson, Frédéric Lenoir revisits the great thinkers of desire to offer us a lucid and vibrant book, embodied in our most current issues. A work accessible to all, which helps not only to live, but to live to the fullest.

• Flammarion, November 9, 2022 – 240 pages
  EAN: 9782080415806
  ISBN: 9782080415806
• I read, November 13, 2024 – 256 pages
  EAN: 9782290390245

Media

France 2 – “What an era!” hosted by Léa Salamé
Replay of the program broadcast on November 5, 2022