Synopses & Reviews
Although there has been much discussion about things like the causes, loss, and maintenance of sexual desire, there has been little research into the nature of sexual desire itself. Consequently, most of the discussions on these topics have gone on without any clear idea about what it is that is being discussed. Readers will be interested that at last there is a full-length book that attempts to say what sexual desire is. Further, this book takes an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach, drawing on a wide range of texts and research.
Drawing on such diverse sources as psychology, philosophy, and biology, a thorough discussion of sexual desire is presented. Giles starts by showing why sexual desire is existential problem and then follows with an examination of the nature of desire. From here the sexual process is examined and its relation to sexual desire is explored. This view of sexual desire is then used to explain the nature of romantic love, different orientations in love, and love's relation to sexual desire. It is argued that sexual desire has its roots in desires for vulnerability, care, and the experience of gender.
Review
"The receptive awareness that belongs to the nature of sexual desire according to James Giles belongs also to his phenomenological descriptions of that desire. Responsive both to what the founder of phenomenology calls "the things themselves" and to the extensive archive of scholarship on the subject, this book treats of the exquisite experience it studies so faithfully in a prose so elegant and direct that it has the makings of a classic destined to seduce generations of specialist and non-specialist readers." John Llewelyn,The HypoCritical Imagination: Between Kant and Levinas
Review
"This readable and well-conceived book represents a lucid, synoptic assessment of a key and central feature of our humanity. Its approach is both comprehensive and systematic....The reader will find here a rich and creative synthesis of both intrapsychic and interpersonal aspects of sexual attraction, arousal, and response. A thoughtful selection of primary literature and important critical analysis of the methodology of human sexuality research enhance an explicitly humanistic agenda." Sanford Lopater, Human Sexuality: A Psychosocial Perspective
Review
"A delightful examination of the way in which cross-cultural theorists, philosophers, and psychologists have viewed the nature of sexual desire. Although James Giles is not afraid to tackle difficult theoretical questions, his discussions are lightened by a sprinkling of charming quotes and genuine insights into human sexuality, gender, and the experience of love." Elaine Hatfield,
co-author of Love and Sex: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
Review
"This thoroughly frank and groundbreaking work belongs in the libraries and workshops of all sex educators, therapists and church leaders all who, in truth, may wish to raise the quality of human care and intimacy and, indeed, the spiritual consummation of sexual desire "that peak moment that equals all of time'' which I hope we all will discover in our lives." Hale Sinclare, Chair (Ret.), Department of Psychology, Langara College, Vancouver
Review
"Giles' spiritual understanding of sexual desire and his appreciation for the richness and exquisiteness of sexual interaction will be refreshing for those philosophers and sex therapists who believe that biological and physiological research dehumanize the joys of sexual desire and satisfaction."
Felcia De le Garza-Mercer, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy January-February 2007"
Review
"This book certainly presents a thoughtful, thorough and critical exploration of the subject matter. The text is not a light read, and this is mainly because so much material is drawn upon and as many questions emerge from the discussion as are answered. The questions raised, however, challenge assumptions and propel the reader to explore right to the very corners of this fascinating subject. This text should be of value to anyone interested in learning more about the human experience."
Helen Startup, Sexual and Relationship Therapy, February 2006
Synopsis
Presents a comprehensive analysis of sexual desire, the sexual process, gender, and romantic love.
About the Author
James Giles, Ph.D., was born in Vancouver, Canada and is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Guam. He has also taught at the University of Cambridge, the University of Copenhagen, and the Hawaii campus of Kansai Gaidai University, Japan. He is the author of No Self to be Found:
The Search for Personal Identity. His work on sexuality and love has been highly acclaimed by Ruth ("Dr Ruth") Westheimer in her recent text book on human sexuality.
Table of Contents
Preface
1.The Problem of Sexual Desire
An Unsettling State of Affairs
The Nature of Desire
2.The Sexual Process
The Idea of a Sexual Process
Ellis and the Mechanism of Detumescence
Freud and the Pleasures of Excitation
Reich's Orgastically Satisfying Sex Act
Masters and Johnson's Sexual Response Cycle
The Phenomenonology of the Sexual Process
3.The Object of Sexual Desire
Sexual Desire and Reproduction
Erotic Pleasure
Sexual Activity
From Baring and Caressing to Vulnerability and Care
The Atypical Sexual Variations
4.The Experience of Gender
The Primacy of Gender
Gender and the Genitals
The Place of Gender in Sexual Orientation
The Twoness of Gender in Sexual Desire
5.The Structure of Being in Love
Being in Love
Love as the Desire for Vulnerability and Care
The Non-Exclusiveness of Love
Ways of Being in Love
Love's Relation to Sexual Desire
6. Epilogue: Sexual Desire as an Existential Need
References
Index