“All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses.” So Aristotle. Jonathan Lear glosses: “That we take pleasure in the sheer exercise of our sensory faculties is a sign that we do have a desire for knowledge.”
Obviously, Aristotle is talking about the pleasures we derive from beautiful landscapes, sunsets, paintings; the ecstasies of listening to a string quartet; the transport of aroma; the sensuality of taste and touch. Our most common and basic knowing of the world is all bound up with delight.
Isn’t this reason enough to be suspicious of – if not to reject outright – any epistemology that puts desire and pleasure on the back burner?
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War
What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times…
How the State Failed Noelia Castillo
On March 26, Noelia Castillo, a twenty-five-year-old Spanish woman, was killed by her doctors at her own…
The Mind’s Profane and Sacred Loves
The teachers you have make all the difference in your life. That they happened to come into…
