Desire And Its Limit

 'Post-humanism', with the development of science and technology, people are going beyond humanism— the human qualities of life— and following our desires, changing the meaning of what it means to be human and in the process harming the body.  

Where are we heading and where should we be going? An article in the Catholic Times reports on the recent conference with the theme: 'Human Desire and the Body'.
 
Participants pointed out 'desire' itself is not the problem but the excess. One professor of philosophy said: "Desire gives meaning to life, to destruction when overdone." Pornography as an example: Does not liberate one from sex but makes one a slave of desire for stronger sexual pleasure.

Stephan Kampowski a professor of philosophical anthropology from Rome said: "Desire has a limit, and even though we are finite human beings we desire the infinite." Consequently, we think it good to have a  little more of whatever it is we possess. We need to get rid of this way of thinking. "Sexual desires are not just for physical satisfaction, but a promise to friendship."
 
He alluded to the recent videos of well-known celebrities whose sex lives were illegally filmed and circulated, a basic lack of awareness of the meaning of marriage. 
Sexuality is not shared with a person who is not a spouse before marriage but shared with a spouse to complete love after marriage. 

Professor Kampowski, said marriage is a system that can legitimately serve society,  but often criticized. Marriage is a pledge for a 'common life' where men and women are responsible for all aspects of childbirth and education. He then emphasized that sexual desire based solely on feelings or marriage without any responsibility could lead to a 'disorganized sex life'
 
We need to discern what we desire if not we enter the world of biotechnology as a means to transcend our human condition and eventually design children to have better children and to acquire for ourselves better abilities and so forth. He has advised those in attendance to work against this direction and hopes the desire is strong enough to do so.

"Human beings cannot be happy without desire, but their desires can also make their lives unhappy," said one of the participants. Human beings should seek desire only to the extent that leads to harmony in life.
 
The Cardinal in the initial speech said: "When human beings are totally committed to love, true happiness will follow." In the development of science and technology, he hopes that it will lead to a truly human life together.