Desire, a philosophy

Presentation

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

To desire to live is not simply to be alive. It is to allow ourselves to be carried away by the life force that leads us to create, to love, to surpass ourselves. It is to cultivate the power of desire that is the driving force of our lives. Yet, in our daily lives, we experience numerous limitations – “I’m not capable,” “It’s too risky,” “It’s not for you” – that inhibit us. We are often also prisoners of the impulses of our primal brain, the striatum , and of consumerist propaganda that pushes us to acquire ever more. How can we cultivate the strength of desire without falling into the trap of perpetual dissatisfaction or social mimicry? How can we develop our life force without censoring ourselves? How can we learn to direct our desires toward things, activities, or people that help us grow and bring us joy?
From Plato to René Girard, by way of Buddha, Aristotle, Epicurus, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Jung, and Bergson, Frédéric Lenoir revisits the great thinkers of desire to offer us a lucid and vibrant book, grounded in our most current concerns. A work accessible to all, which helps us not only to live, but to live life to the fullest.

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

Media

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