The Oracle Chapter 4 (Eros)
Lorient Montaner
Desire
(Epithymia)
1. The Oracle defines desire as a very puissant feeling for a person or object that is typically coveted or wanted in our lives. It can be described as a natural form of expression that people seek. When it is pursued, it must be tempered with discretion and balance.
2. In The Republic, Plato argues that individual desires must be delayed in the name of the higher idea. This means that desires must be rational, not excessive. It is harmful to the mind, body, and soul when we succumb to inordinate forms of materialism that we do not truly require.
3. In De Anima, Aristotle claims that desire is implicated in animal interactions and the propensity of animals towards motion; at the same time, he acknowledged that reasoning also interacts with desire. If we recognise that desire is connected to our reasoning, we can begin to understand its function.
4. When I proceed to describe desire, I am affirming its concept within the decisive framework of philosophy that pertains to human beings and reveals the purpose behind its logic. Desire is such a powerful force that it influences, and often holds dominion over, our persona.
5. The notion that desire is implicitly a longing for someone or something must be both elaborated and understood. We must explain precisely what desire implies in its quintessence. In doing so, we are describing eros.
6. Rational behaviour is what distinguishes us from other animals. We possess thought, not merely instinct. We are capable of conceptualising love and desire. When properly embraced, desire can be essentially a logical necessity rather than an insatiable urge.
7. The distinction I shall make regarding the concept of desire revolves around the fundamental elements of desire and love, as expressed within the philosophy of the Oracle. It is important that this distinction be disclosed for what it truly represents.
8. Desire is so frequently compared to sensual appetency in both religion and science, yet it can also be interpreted as the epitome of the expression of love when given willingly. Thus, in the philosophical sense, desire is intimately linked to the mind, body, and soul.
9. The presumed antecedence of desire is then acknowledged within the concept of eros, as the viable element of its composition and purpose. When desire is elaborated upon and embodied through the teachings of philosophy, it is conceived as an inherent part of eros.
10 Whilst we consider love to be integral to eros, desire is equally pleasant in its essence and fulfilment. It allows us the experience of recognising that element in another. Intuitively, we come to appreciate desire, when that desire is expressed as natural.
11. We can also surmise the unique distinction between what we feel and what we want, and this comparison need not be sexual. Sex does not wholly define desire. In philosophy, we learn that sex is governed by the mind, and is a product thereof.
12. To desire is to want, and to love is to feel. When we perceive that one is as natural as the other within the broad concept of eros, we can begin to explore our desires and make the unusual distinction between lust and love.
13. The reality of desire is that we are either consciously or subconsciously aware of the distinction between its capacity and its accismus. When we experience desire, we are confronted by either a necessity or a proclivity.
14. As human beings, we are not entitled to love or desire, but we crave their basic functions in order to satisfy our needs. Aristotle stated that desires are linked to capacities or tendencies common to our nature as humans.
15. He said: “Everything, too, is pleasant for which we have the desire within us, since desire is the craving for pleasure. Of the desires, some are irrational, others are associated with reason. By irrational, I mean those which do not arise from any opinion held by the mind. Of this kind are those known as ‘natural’: for instance, those originating in the body, such as the desire for nourishment namely hunger and thirst and a separate kind of desire corresponding to each kind of nourishment; and the desires connected with taste, sex, and sensations of touch in general; and those of smell, hearing, and vision. Rational desires are those we are induced to have; there are many things we desire to see or acquire because we have been told of them and persuaded that they are good.”
16. Desire is the evolving inducement of our inner thoughts, often secretive in its inception, animus, and peripeteia. Sensual desire may be divided into four variables, which I identify as curiosity, eroticism, self-indulgence, and epithymy.
17. As with love, desire can be injurious in its consequences, depending on how it is perceived and enacted. Everyone is capable of expressing a need for both desire and love, with ophelimity, and their evident endowment and motivation.
18. Desire is natural, and rarely requires instinctive behaviour, since it is often accompanied by thought and intuition. A person may express desire in a manner that is entirely natural in its quiddity.
19. Philosophy differs vastly from psychology in terms of implication, significance, and tautology, yet the argument of the Oracle is grounded in philosophy. This is reflected in the concepts and principles espoused by the Oracle.
20. The analysis and applied interpretation of this definition imply an understanding of the mind and its resolutions. Once again, it is essential that the philosophical concept of mind, body, and soul be emphasised.
21. Desire pertains to certain emotions closely linked to its primary function, which may manifest erotically. When defining desire in this context, we are in fact introducing the subject of sensuality.
22. Nothing is quite as it seems unless accompanied by a clear explanation grounded in its etymon. So it is with desire. Unless defined, desire is easily reduced to caprice or mere instinct.
23. From within that explanation arises the reasoning which enables our reflection, presented and analysed with due consideration. For decades, human beings have attempted to understand the dynamics of desire and how it coexists with the mind.
24. Desire has a distinct purpose in life, either singular or multiple in function and capacity. It presents us with the unique dilemma of deciphering its possibilities and established limitations.
25. Several factors contribute to the rise of desire, according to philosophy and logic. Once these factors are identified, we can begin to comprehend the mechanisms of desire and how they relate to thought.
26. One such factor is impulsive behaviour; another, obsessive desire that we fail to control or acknowledge. It is not abnormal to experience impulsive desires, but how we act upon them is key. It is therefore important that we do not dismiss this.
27. We may learn to distinguish the obvious contrast between such states, but the perception of both remains a fascinating subject for contemplation. When we reflect upon the origin of desire, we are inevitably drawn to the nature of its effects.
28. Desire is a compelling emotion that can rapidly dominate our thoughts, much like an impulse in direct motion. When we are most active in desire, we are most active in the mind. This suggests that desire is as fundamental to the mind as it is to the body.
29. Our conscious awareness aids us in clarifying and interpreting this experience. We ought not to disregard bodily desires, just as we should not disregard those of the mind. The maintenance of balance is always the path to enlightenment.
30. When we desire something or someone, we are more attuned to its primal necessity and capability than to its potential consequences. It is instinctive for humans to act before thinking. This alone reveals the powerful influence of desire on our reactions.
31. Through awareness, we gain the knowledge to understand desire in a practical sense. The desires we display in our conduct reflect those already manifest within. We must learn to adapt to them.
32. Once we grasp the function and purpose of our desires, we can explore their boundless potential through cognition and creativity. Our imagination is deeply entwined with the usage of our desires.
33. The propensity to desire is a natural proclivity, often expressed with remarkable precision. The urge to fulfil our desires is ever-present. Yet fulfilment is not guaranteed.
34. We yearn to satisfy our epithymetic whims and emotions, aware they can trigger multiple vices and pleonectic urges. Thus, we must remain conscious of that which may be detrimental to our reason.
35. The concept of desire is too ambiguous to be contained within a single supposition or understated theory. What matters is our effort to define desire and explicate its true meaning in a philosophical context.
36. Desire requires profound introspection to be fully understood in terms of its origin and significance. The way in which desire conflicts with emotions and thoughts is key to the development of its fulfilment.
37. What we contemplate may not always be desire, but rather a plausible thought requiring action. Sometimes, what we assume to be desire is instead a nascent thought. That which is desirable is not always manifest.
38. We may choose to explore desire or love, or dismiss their effects and significance through self-knowledge or ignorance. How we experience desire determines how we interpret its evolving nature. It can signify many things, but may ultimately result in impulse.
39. There is much yet to discover about eros, which we often misconstrue or misinterpret, forgetting its foundational premise. The idea that desire cannot be controlled is unfounded. Our capacity for ratiocination enables us to distinguish the effects of desire.
40. Desire, like any function, requires a prevailing thought to sustain its interest and necessity; otherwise, it ceases to be relevant. To experiment with desire is to seek what lies beyond it.
41. We often desire that which we cannot attain, due to the passage of time or the order of events. When desire manifests, it becomes a reality shaped by our conscious establishment.
42. We possess the faculty to desire something we know we cannot have, yet the desire remains present in our consciousness. Many things cannot be fulfilled by desire, just as certain things may be consciously and willingly fulfilled.
43. We can transmute desire into pleasure or love, if we allow that emotion to develop naturally and logically. This highlights that desire can evolve into love or pleasure, without strict definitional constraints.
44. Desire enables us to express emotions that are accessible to both our needs and our minds. When provoked, it compels one to engage deeply with their desires and become more conscious of their subsequent actions.
45. The true relevance of philosophy lies in the application and dissemination of its elemental principles. To comprehend desire, one must understand what these principles represent.
46. The Oracle allows our minds to ruminate and become preoccupied with the necessities we manifest through our thoughts and emotions. When we think and emote, we are experimenting with the sensations of desire.
47. Desire becomes a necessity when it moves beyond mere thought and compels us toward action and fulfilment. It may become a craving yearned for by body and mind or a consequential reality we enact.
48. If we dismiss its essential importance, we cannot perceive the material concept of eros in its entirety. Videlicet, desire manifests in the body and its expression is one of conscious awareness.
49. Love is love, and desire is desire, but what is their purpose if not experienced? This is a profound question, for both are equally expressed and equally relevant to the concept of eros.
50. Desire has a logical function, as do all emotions governed by rationality. We express it willingly, acknowledging its instrumental capacity. To desire does not imply a person is more intuitive; it simply indicates that a particular need exists as a logical function.
51. The human body may be nourished by love or desire in its actions and experiences, provided we allow this nourishment. There is nothing abnormal about desire or its function. When we desire, whether abstractly or physically, we are simply desiring.
52. We must discern whether a desire is rational or irrational. The process that triggers our response is prompted by instinct and intuition, which are two components closely tied to our typical conduct.
53. It is banal to assume its true origin if we fail to recognise desire’s existential role and its application. When we accept that desire arises from our thoughts, we begin to understand it.
54. Can we define desire as a mere emotion, or is it contingent upon its acquisition? If it is pure impulse, it is instinctive; if a thought, it is largely intuitive.
55. I am inclined to believe it depends on how we apply its definition. That, ultimately, is the crux of the matter. We may attempt to describe desire with some degree of accuracy or accept that it is a natural part of our ethos.
56. The Oracle affirms that we are naturally curious beings, seeking answers to satisfy our developing awareness. Curiosity does not render us irrational; rather, it heightens our consciousness.
57. Through our everyday experiences, we learn the true relationship between desire and love. We may debate desire’s place in science or religion, but such arguments are subjective. It is better to approach it on a philosophical level of clarity.
58. Plato once stated that human behaviour flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. When our desires are purely emotional, they are at the mercy of our impulses. When they are rational, they are represented by our intuitive knowledge.
59. We must, at the very least, acquiesce to the reality that desire is a natural operation within our lives. There is nothing unnatural about good desires. They are an intrinsic part of us and function within their own capacity.
60. Desire confirms the fundamental principle of eros, and its complex nature is affirmed through its function. Desire need not be difficult to understand, provided we apply rationality to it.
61. From the concept of desire, the relationship between love and desire is not impossible to imagine as genuinely compatible. Desire is compatible with love, and love with desire. How we choose to express them depends on our interpretation of both.
62. What must be seriously considered is the notion that whatever is desirable in life is consciously attained. It is our consciousness that ultimately detects our revealed thoughts and emotions. Consciousness serves as the mechanism for our desires.
63. A pervasive thought is that arbitrary desire is related to the expressible nature of our mentality, though it remains to be fully understood. When we demonstrate our desires, we enable our minds to function in conjunction with our bodies. It is the mind that determines the level of our desires.
64. Desire can generally be understood either as a manifestation of impulsive behaviour untamed by volition, or as a manifestation of thought linked to our ideas. Ultimately, desire is relevant to the purpose it seeks to fulfil.
65. Desire may be expressed overtly as a valuable remedy to the discomfort of uncertainty, or as a natural response to thoughts and emotions that evolve gradually.
66. Given the plausibility of its nature, we may assume that we associate necessity with the function we ascribe to its basic practice. As human beings, we possess the fundamental capability to interpret our desires and to process them with the mind.
67. The distinct effects of desire are indeed consequential to the evolution of its functional progress, once manifested and shared. When we experience desire, we undergo a human reaction. When we react, we become cognisant of desire's effects.
68. By recognising the capacity of its presentation, we become conscious of its eventual use. We remain observant of its role in our ethos, and desire is expressed through our creativity. It is this creativity that allows desire to flourish.
69. Necessity becomes an adaptation of an indeterminate nature, exposed by our reaction to both need and utility. We must remember that anything excessive in its essence is unhealthy to the mind, body, and soul.
70. Desire is emblematic of the concept of eros and the activation of our mental, emotional, and physical proclivities. When we are active in our thoughts, we are inclined to manifest the causes of our desires.
71. Our known indiscretions are not necessarily licentious when they are linked to practical purpose. It is significant to observe that even sensual desires are neither immoral nor illogical, if they are accompanied by rational thought.
72. Thus, with a broader understanding of eros, the mind seeks to explore it extensively, in pursuit of personal enlightenment. Once we have discovered the quintessence of our desires, we are capable of grasping their true substance.
73. Thereafter, the desire that urges us transforms into a compulsive action, exciting to both mind and body when activated. Once we are conscious of our desires, we naturally seek ways to satisfy them.
74. Within this affirmation, the concept of desire materialises, along with its acquisition and progression in our lives. Our desires should be fruitful, not fruitless. We are the proprietors of our minds, bodies, and souls. We must learn to govern our desires, rather than allow desires to govern us.
75. We define the state of desire as an adjustable element of common expression, even though we are constantly evolving in our thoughts. Desire is uniquely relative to the established relationship between the mind and body.
76. Nothing is more transparent than its feasibility and the circumstances in which it arises to describe its existence and purpose. Desires are meant to be expressed, as they are meant to be explored. In doing so, we seek to understand their necessity.
77. With that recognition, we dismiss divergent thought and resume our daily activities. A desire may be no more than a fleeting impulse, or it may be a profound demonstration of introspective thought.
78. Desire may, from a scientific standpoint, be considered an uncontrollable and irrational contemplation when incomplete. Within the framework of the Oracle, however, it is the expression of the mind, body, and soul. We should not omit this acknowledgement.
79. Hence, the philosophical correlation lies in evaluating desire at the level of incisive awareness and experience. If we do not experiment with our desires, they become insignificant. They cease to be relevant.
80. In reference to eros, the explanatory concept is better understood when clearly articulated. This is why the Oracle endeavours to elucidate the meaning and purpose of desire with practical insight.
81. Intuitively, through the intense influence of desire, we expound upon its logical certainty, which is the inflexible inclination we knowingly experience. It is not irrational to have desires or to express them openly. Desire is natural.
82. We gravitate towards the ultimate necessity that develops within the elaborate, experimental function of desire. For human beings, desire is best described essentially at its most basic level of existence.
83. The strongest inducement for desire in humans manifests intermittently through thoughts and passion. Once these are conveyed, they can be developed into practical, meaningful desires.
84. If we truly understood the operative nature of desire, we would recognise the intrinsic elements attached to its philosophical origin and definition. This would allow us to better understand the purpose behind our desires.
85. To display a desirable manifestation is not a careless thought or inconsequential action that overrides our restraint. Rational desires need not be suppressed; they only require moderation. It is better to accept this premise than to reject it.
86. Our mind perceives the general necessity of desire, and the body responds accordingly. Thus, it is assumed to be logical. Logic is essential to the concept of desire because it affirms the necessity of its existence.
87. There is much about the unusual inception of desire that is universally linked to the ongoing pursuit of satisfaction. Yet to satisfy a desire does not mean that all desires are inherently satisfying.
88. The genuine expression of desire is, by nature, a logical premise, since we are constantly aware of our needs. Our needs are a reflection of our desires, expressed through thought.
89. The desirability we possess compels us to seek its fulfilment under suitable conditions. It is vital to emphasise that thought must prevail over emotion, especially when emotion is incongruent with the mind.
90. The absolute conformation of its pertinent nature is entirely reflective of its congruence, structured by the mind with intention. It is the mind that connects thought to desire and allows that desire to be captivated by reason.
91. Its useful purpose is to signal an effect that arises from our cognition and sentience. The mind must govern our desires, though desires may appear suddenly, as consequences of instinct or intuition.
92. As demonstrated by instinct and intuition, desire is predicated on the recognition of our necessities and demands. When we demand that our desires manifest, we are exploring the realm of the mind; when they are necessities, we explore the body.
93. The actual development of desire is linked to the progress of both mind and body. There are times when desires become obsessions, and those obsessions take root in our reality.
94. Asking how much desire is necessary may be an ill-timed question, for the consolidation of love and desire does not follow a fixed order. It is based on an ambiguous interpretation. Desire should be understood as natural when expressed rationally.
95. The unpredictable nature of desire is exemplified by the actions taken in response to it, and the urgency of its demand. We act in accordance with our desires and behave as mind and body co-exist.
96. Naturally, we all possess the capacity and will to express and restrain our desires with a measure of metriopatheia (moderation of emotions). It is important to recognise that desires should not be perceived as impositions.
97. Within this philosophy, desire is distinguished in two aspects more commonly known as appetition and volition. When we discuss these, we refer to the parts that define their respective functions.
98. Appetition is a compelling craving, while volition represents the will, or the faculty of choice. This distinction was proposed by Aristotle in his philosophy and is to be understood logically.
99. If we accept this unique inference, then desire becomes analogous to the composite elements of eros. We should not confuse necessity for desire with desire for opportunity. This must be confirmed by philosophical acumen.
100. That we express desire openly is a testament to our intellect and intuition. It is measured through the power of the mind, body, and soul. Desire operates in accordance with our thoughts, but to enjoy it, we must apply the known concept of pleasure.
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