Author(s): William B. Irvine

Cultural Studies

Why We Want What We Want

A married person falls in love with someone else. A man of average income feels he cannot be happy unless he owns a luxury car. A dieter has a craving for ice cream. Desires often come to us unbidden and unwanted, and they can have a dramatic impact. In On Desire, William B. Irvine takes us on a tour of our impulses, wants and needs, showing us where these feelings come from and how we can try to rein them in. Spicing his account with observations by writers like Tolstoy and Freud, Irvine considers the teachings of Buddhists, Hindus, the Amish, Shakers and Catholic saints, as well as those of ancient and modern philosophers. Irvine also looks at what science can tell us about desire and concludes that the best way to attain happiness is not to change the world around us, but to change ourselves. If we can convince ourselves to want what we already have, we can dramatically enhance our happiness.