When doing philosophy, when trying to understand something better, one should optimally do a combination of the following: think about the topic, research what others have said, and talk to friends and colleagues about the topic. Here I’m writing the results of the first and hoping to engage in the third. I’m feeling a bit lazy about doing the second, at this point.
Thinking about desire, I am fairly perplexed. One way to begin thinking about desire is to say that a person desires X if she finds it valuable. But finding something valuable is certainly not sufficient for desiring it. I find the Mona Lisa to be valuable, but I don’t desire to possess it and only desire a bit to see it. If not sufficient, is judging something valuable necessary for desire? Are there cases of true desire that don’t involve valuing something? I cannot think of any, though that is by no means decisive.
