On Desire: Why We Want What We Want - Brossura

Irvine, William B.

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0195327071 ISBN 13: 9780195327076

Casa editrice: Oxford University Press, USA, 2007

Riassunto

A married person falls deeply in love with someone else. A man of average income feels he cannot be truly happy unless he owns an expensive luxury car. A dieter has an irresistible craving for ice cream. Desires often come to us unbidden and unwanted, and they can have a dramatic impact, sometimes changing the course of our lives. In On Desire, William B. Irvine takes us on a wide-ranging tour of our impulses, wants, and needs, showing us where these feelings come from and how we can try to rein them in. Spicing his account with engaging observations by writers like Seneca, Tolstoy, and Freud, Irvine considers the teachings of Buddhists, Hindus, the Amish, Shakers, and Catholic saints, as well as those of ancient Greek and Roman and modern European philosophers. Irvine also looks at what modern science can tell us about desire-such as what happens in the brain when we desire something and how animals evolved particular desires-and he advances a new theory about how desire itself evolved. Irvine also suggests that at the same time that we gained the ability to desire, we were "programmed" to find some things more desirable than others. Irvine concludes that the best way to attain lasting happiness is not to change the world around us or our place in it, but to change ourselves. If we can convince ourselves to want what we already have, we can dramatically enhance our happiness. Brimming with wisdom and practical advice, On Desire offers a thoughtful approach to controlling unwanted passions and attaining a more meaningful life.

Su questo libro

Informazioni sull?autore

William B. Irvine is Professor of Philosophy at Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio.

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Oxford University Press, USA
• Data di pubblicazione: 2007
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0195327071
• ISBN 13: 9780195327076
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 336
• Contatto del produttore: {language_tag:it_IT,value:"Oxford University Press Inc; productsafety@penguin.co.uk"}