desire
Quick Summary
Desire is a strong wish or longing for something, often stemming from an internal urge or drive. In psychology, this concept is closely related to motivation, which refers to the forces that initiate and guide behavior. Sigmund Freud, a pioneer in psychoanalysis, used the term Trieb to describe these urges, impulses, and desires, viewing them as fundamental drives that influence human actions.1234
These drives can be broadly categorized. Primary motives, common to both humans and animals, include basic needs like hunger, thirst, and sex, as well as the avoidance of pain, fear, and aggression. Secondary, or learned, motives are more individualized and can include desires for achievement or power.3
Theories like psychological hedonism suggest that all human actions are ultimately motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. This means that even seemingly altruistic actions might be driven by a desire to avoid negative feelings like remorse or to gain satisfaction.5
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ethicsHobbes…all human action is the desire for pleasure. Like later psychological hedonists, Hobbes was confronted with the objection that people often seem to act altruistically. According to a story told about him, Hobbes was once seen giving alms to a beggar outside St. Paul’s Cathedral. A clergyman sought to score…
Read More…all human action is the desire for pleasure. Like later psychological hedonists, Hobbes was confronted with the objection that people often seem to act altruistically. According to a story told about him, Hobbes was once seen giving alms to a beggar outside St. Paul’s Cathedral. A clergyman sought to score…
Read More- ethicsKant
…called any action based on desires a hypothetical imperative, meaning by this that it is a command of reason that applies only if one desires the goal in question. For example, “Be honest, so that people will think well of you!” is an imperative that applies only if one wishes…
Read More…called any action based on desires a hypothetical imperative, meaning by this that it is a command of reason that applies only if one desires the goal in question. For example, “Be honest, so that people will think well of you!” is an imperative that applies only if one wishes…
Read More - ethicsSpinoza
…is Spinoza’s attitude toward natural desires. As has been noted, Hobbes took self-interested desire for pleasure as an unchangeable fact about human nature and proceeded to build a moral and political system to cope with it. Spinoza did just the opposite. He saw natural desires as a form of bondage.…
Read More…is Spinoza’s attitude toward natural desires. As has been noted, Hobbes took self-interested desire for pleasure as an unchangeable fact about human nature and proceeded to build a moral and political system to cope with it. Spinoza did just the opposite. He saw natural desires as a form of bondage.…
Read More