|
The argument from desire is an argument for the existence of God. Though not strictly invented as a 'proof' by which the divine must exist, the argument points to human action in the context of yearning and wanting as reason to posit that God perhaps exists. It is most known in recent times through the writings of C. S. Lewis, who articulated the concept in works such as 1933's and ''The Pilgrim's Regress'' and 1949's ''The Weight of Glory'', while it has also appeared in other Christian apologist publications. The concept has also been subject to various criticisms.〔 ==Argument forms== As a syllogism, the argument from desire can be expressed as follows: :''(Major premise)'' All innate human desires have real objects that exist in relation to those desires. By 'innate', the arguer(s) means those desires that are universal and exist across different socio-cultural contexts. The desire for food, the desire for companionship, the desire to enjoy beauty, and the like are innate desires in this sense. The desires to have a grand mansion in order to impress one's neighbors or a PhD in order to gain economic favor are not, for example, given that human situations exist in which neither wealth nor social status are highly valued. The premise cannot be proved but is plausible, so the argument goes, due to human experience. Ones feel hunger; there is such a thing as eating. One feels sexual desire; there is such a thing as sex. It would be unlikely for a group of individuals to exist who reported feeling hungry yet did not possess food, mouths nor stomachs. For every such innate desire in human experience (save one) we can identify the object. :''(Minor premise)'' There is a desire for "we know not what" whose object cannot be identified. The arguer(s) state that human beings are never truly satisfied; even while one deals with matters such as thirst and hunger, the need for companionship and love beyond that available in mere fleeting human lifespans seems to exist. The second premise relates to the concept of 'longing', as expressed by the German term ''Sehnsucht'', as well as the notion of the hedonic treadmill. :''(Conclusion)'' If the object of this desire does not exist in this world, it must exist in another. The argument is not meant to be a 'proof' in strict terms. The conclusion may not necessarily be the only possibility satisfying the premises. As well, the argument specifies no form whatsoever for the kind of God or afterlife that exists in relation to its conclusion; though often made by Christians, it has a broader scope than Christianity to the wider aspects of theism. Yet the argument from desire can be seen as persuasive because the premises and conclusion can be not merely understood but experienced in a much more direct way than similar arguments, such as the ontological argument. It is more directly applicable to human behavior in a practical sense. When framing the issue in a concise way, Lewis stated in ''The Weight of Glory'' that: 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「argument from desire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|