ABSTRACT
Desire matters for the way we can know and make sense of the world. In this chapter, we explore the complex nature of desire by juxtaposing multiple understandings. Esther Perel helps us to reflect on what nurtures or kills desire and on the role of the gap. Helen Fisher teaches us to see desire as drive and as obsession, while Martha Nussbaum questions the interplay between belief and desire and how this impacts our possibilities to flourish. Finally, with Giles Deleuze, we meditate on what desire can do and what it means to plug into desire. There is not only one simple way (or one right way) to approach desire. The four meditations included in this chapter celebrate the multiplicity of meaning and invite the reader to reflect on the many ways desire manifests in our lives.
