• philosophience wordpress com
    29
    "Obliterate every desire and you will find happiness", says the wise man.

    It is crucial to differentiate between the happiness of the individual and her/his “success” in the evolutionary sense. Desire, one of Evolution’s whims, is the force that prompts us to seek and obtain things or qualities such as money, power, mates etc. The stronger the desire, the more intensive and relentless the seeking. And thus, the greater the evolutionary success i.e. survival and reproduction. But the holder of this “success” is often not so happy and content. The moment a desire is fulfilled, another desire emerges. On the other side, the sage that has eliminated every desire (has such a human really ever existed?) is perfectly blissful, because he/she has no unfulfilled dreams, nothing to be disappointed with, no one to be disappointed in. So the “force of Evolution” can be defeated. But that is always going to be a pyrrhic victory of man over nature. The content individual bequeathes his/her genome to offspring to a lesser degree than the always unsatisfied struggler who accumulates wealth and power. This in turn explains the fact that human societies abound with dismal men and women, while desireless, peaceful sapients appear almost only in philosophy books.
  • deletedmemberal
    37
    While you are correct, desire should not just be thrown overboard because it may lead individuals into doing nefarious things to get what they want. Instead, desire should be also seen as force of change, be it for good or bad. We enjoy many pleasures, such a better quality of life, due to the desire of many individuals to be better.
    Indeed, desire is not a synonym of perversion and should not be trated the same
  • philosophience wordpress com
    29
    Hi and thanks for your comment! I agree that a desire may even bring good things or beautiful emotions. I can understand sages' advice to reduce our desires in order to be happy, but I am not sure that their suppression will bring redemption as I believe their fulfillement will not bring happiness either. I doubt that a desireless person has ever existed and I doubt that even if existed, she/he would be happy. Or if this living being would be still a human being.
  • Tzeentch
    3.7k
    Interesting discussion for sure, though when I read your post I am a little unsure what part of this problem you'd like to discuss. Maybe you could give a little direction to the discussion you'd like to have, perhaps by asking all of us a question you'd like to see answered.

    So the “force of Evolution” can be defeated. But that is always going to be a pyrrhic victory of man over nature.philosophience wordpress com

    Why is that? I see physical existence, and evolution as a part of it, as the great enslaver of the mind of man. How can the breaking of such chains be anything other than a triumph of the mind?

    You note their offspring may be less successful, but successful by what standard? Hasn't the standard of evolution been rejected by the individual? And would someone who is truly free of the bonds of their physical existence be concerned about siring offspring in the first place?

    I doubt that a desireless person has ever existed and I doubt that even if existed, she/he would be happy.philosophience wordpress com

    Consider a person who is meditating. Let's also consider that they are adept at it. When their mind is empty, do they desire? And if this practice did not make said person happy, why does the sage keep returning to this state?
  • philosophience wordpress com
    29
    Thanks for your opinion! I m happy you found discussion interesting!
    《So the “force of Evolution” can be defeated. But that is always going to be a pyrrhic victory of man over nature.》
    Elaboration:A pyrrhic victory is often a kind of defeat. The person who has few desires lives perhaps a happier life but will always be less productive in evolutionary terms and thus his/her genes and memes(ideas) will stay low in the generations to come. It may be a real victory for the specific individual but not for these particular "suppressed desires-content and satisfied with very little" traits. The constant unappeased struggler who desires more and more will always be the norm.
    Regarding the freedom of the mind from the bonds of physical existense...I just don't believe in it. The body is not the prison of the self but the creator of the self. The demise of the sarx is also the demise of the self.
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