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Questions tagged [desire]

14 questions
8
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1 answer

Is the machinic ontology in Anti-Oedipus metaphysical or psychological?

I am beginning reading Anti-Oedipus and am trying to understand the synthesis of two notions D+G discuss in the first section on Desiring Machines: The quasi-metaphysical conception of everything as a 'circuit' of flows and interruptions; basically…
Cameron
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Is desire closed under logical equivalence?

Suppose some person P desires a statement S to hold. Also, S is logically equivalent to S'. Does this mean that P desires S' also? Basically, is desire closed under logical equivalence?
user107952
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Theory that we do everything for our own benefit

Are there any popular theories or principles that answer this question: Do all actions proceed from a need to satisfy one's own personal discontent? In the future I want to study theoretical physics. I don't do this to benefit people, but to satisfy…
TheAutomaton
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5 answers

What is a Master-Signifier?

I am currently reading "The Fragile Absolute" by Slavoj Žižek. In chapter four he talks about the Master-Signifier. I am not very familiar with Lacan's concepts (I think it comes from him), so could someone please explain this concept to me (with…
Attila
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5 answers

Are love and sexual attraction completely unrelated?

The philosophy of sexuality is a more recent development. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy says: Among the many topics explored by the philosophy of sexuality are procreation, contraception, celibacy, marriage, adultery, casual sex,…
Bach
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Are our desires driven by destiny?

Could there be a possibility that everyone has a destiny pre-written and their desires are just driven by that destiny? And the concept of free will is just a blindfold with limited options. No matter which option we choose, we always move one…
Janaaaa
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How to avoid attachment to "attachment avoidance" in Buddhist philosophy?

I started practicing Buddhism and so trying to avoid attachment to anything. This gives me benefits like a clear mind and calm spirit. But I think I'm starting to become attached to these benefits and to the process of avoiding attachment. How is…
nthng
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How does desire lead to the supernatural?

I Don't understand the following statement (from Pierre Raymond's La Philosophie dans tous ses états): In french: Par le désir, les hommes seraient ouverts à une surnature, disproportionnée comme eux au monde qui les entoure. My english translation:…
Mathphilo
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Need help understanding "you can do what you want but you can't want to want what you want"

Came across this article - http://www.paulgraham.com/want.html Need some help decodifying it ?
Raghav Khaterpal
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What's the difference between statements of wants and statements of should?

I am trying to find out what the relationship is between statements that involve the speakers wants, and statements that involve what the speaker thinks as should. Here is my example: Speaker: "The court ought to proceed in accordance with the…
Richard Bamford
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Are happiness and desire for more (or something) mutually exclusive?

I have heard a popular notion of happiness that — when you're happy you're satisfied/fulfilled with what you have. Are 'happiness' and 'desire for more' mutually exclusive?
ShivCK
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What does this line from "A Happy Death" by Camus mean?

Here is a set of lines from the book 'A Happy Death ' by 'Albert Camus' : 'In the past, whenever Mersault had spent any time with one woman, he made the first gestures of commitment, he was conscious of the disastrous fact that love and desire must…
Dikshit Gautam
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Even if one's preferences are flawless, what might we wish to be done, but think that they oughtn't be done?

Source: Benatar, David. Better Never to Have Been (2008 1 edn). p. 155 Middle. I don't understand the emboldened sentence beneath. What are some common real-life yens that fit and can instance the titled question? Why would we think that these yens…
user8572
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2 answers

being free of desires

I'm not satisfied with the situation I'm in currently. I tend to watch senseless TV shows and do other senseless things such as gaming for hours (it's ok to me to game about an hour, but if it takes up too much time, I feel like wasting my time). I…
naeg
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