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. Also presented are new accounts of the sexual process, gender, romantic love, and love's relation to sexual desire.
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Editorial Reviews
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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. (Journal Of Sex and Marital Therapy )
A delightful examination of the way in which cross-cultural theorists, philosophers, and psychologists have viewed the nature of sexual desire…genuine insights into human sexuality, gender, and the experience of love. (Elaine Hatfield )
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. (Sanford Lopater )
This is an interesting book, in that it deals with a subject (sexual desire) most of us take for granted as being an instinct, without really considering it a process…. This is an excellent read that keeps the reader engrossed throughout. (British Journal Of Sexual Medicine )
Unlike psychology, where sexual desire has long had a central place, philosophy has paid it much less attention. Thus, James Giles' The Nature of Sexual Desire is a welcome and much needed addition the the relatively scant philosophical literatureon the subject. ...it is an original, intriguing and, I suspect, fecund account. Moreover, Giles does a masterful job of weaving together material from pyschological, biological, and religious sources as well as philosophical ones. ...Giles covers awealth of material and presents detailed, articulate arguments in support of his views. The Nature of Sexual Desire is well worth the read... (Metapsychology Online Reviews )
The Nature of Sexual Desire…presents a rich and thorough exploration of the subject matter that cuts across historical perspectives and issues of culture. The author draws on understandings from sexology, psychology, philosophy and anthropology and by so doing explores all relevant perspectives. (Sexual and Relationship Therapy )
Unlike psychology, where sexual desire has long had a central place, philosophy has paid it much less attention. Thus, James Giles' The Nature of Sexual Desire is a welcome and much needed addition the the relatively scant philosophical literature on the subject. ...it is an original, intriguing and, I suspect, fecund account. Moreover, Giles does a masterful job of weaving together material from pyschological, biological, and religious sources as well as philosophical ones. ...Giles covers a wealth of material and presents detailed, articulate arguments in support of his views. The Nature of Sexual Desire is well worth the read. (Metapsychology Online Reviews )
[Giles’] descriptions are often detailed, nuanced, and unafraid of approaching the everyday reality of sexual experience head-on. He is to be commended for being unafraid of frankly discussing the details of sexual experience, as even the most sex-positive scholars have a tendency to whitewash their prose. I strongly believe that this unconscious self-censorship is ultimately injurious to sexual health, social justice, and the scientific study of sexuality. Whatever his other faults, the author has presented an unabashed celebration of human sexuality, and for that alone this book represents a contribution to the literature. (Anthropological Quarterly )
The philosophical analysis presented in the book is sure to stimulate critical thinking and encourage one to look at sexual desire from a multitude of perspectives. Giles has made a significant contribution to the literature, and the process of the examination in and of itself is worthwhile to gain insight into the nature of sexual desire. (Journal Of Marriage and Family )
If you are looking for a detailed analysis, from a multi-theoretical and philosophical perspective, on human sexual desire, this text stands alone for its innovative and comprehensive approach. (Aids Care )
A delightful examination of the way in which cross-cultural theorists, philosophers, and psychologists have viewed the nature of sexual desire…genuine insights into human sexuality, gender, and the experience of love. (Elaine Hatfield )
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. (Sanford Lopater )
This is an interesting book, in that it deals with a subject (sexual desire) most of us take for granted as being an instinct, without really considering it a process…. This is an excellent read that keeps the reader engrossed throughout. (British Journal Of Sexual Medicine )
Unlike psychology, where sexual desire has long had a central place, philosophy has paid it much less attention. Thus, James Giles' The Nature of Sexual Desire is a welcome and much needed addition the the relatively scant philosophical literatureon the subject. ...it is an original, intriguing and, I suspect, fecund account. Moreover, Giles does a masterful job of weaving together material from pyschological, biological, and religious sources as well as philosophical ones. ...Giles covers awealth of material and presents detailed, articulate arguments in support of his views. The Nature of Sexual Desire is well worth the read... (Metapsychology Online Reviews )
The Nature of Sexual Desire…presents a rich and thorough exploration of the subject matter that cuts across historical perspectives and issues of culture. The author draws on understandings from sexology, psychology, philosophy and anthropology and by so doing explores all relevant perspectives. (Sexual and Relationship Therapy )
Unlike psychology, where sexual desire has long had a central place, philosophy has paid it much less attention. Thus, James Giles' The Nature of Sexual Desire is a welcome and much needed addition the the relatively scant philosophical literature on the subject. ...it is an original, intriguing and, I suspect, fecund account. Moreover, Giles does a masterful job of weaving together material from pyschological, biological, and religious sources as well as philosophical ones. ...Giles covers a wealth of material and presents detailed, articulate arguments in support of his views. The Nature of Sexual Desire is well worth the read. (Metapsychology Online Reviews )
[Giles’] descriptions are often detailed, nuanced, and unafraid of approaching the everyday reality of sexual experience head-on. He is to be commended for being unafraid of frankly discussing the details of sexual experience, as even the most sex-positive scholars have a tendency to whitewash their prose. I strongly believe that this unconscious self-censorship is ultimately injurious to sexual health, social justice, and the scientific study of sexuality. Whatever his other faults, the author has presented an unabashed celebration of human sexuality, and for that alone this book represents a contribution to the literature. (Anthropological Quarterly )
The philosophical analysis presented in the book is sure to stimulate critical thinking and encourage one to look at sexual desire from a multitude of perspectives. Giles has made a significant contribution to the literature, and the process of the examination in and of itself is worthwhile to gain insight into the nature of sexual desire. (Journal Of Marriage and Family )
The Nature of Sexual Desire is a comprehensive phenomenological analysis of sexual desire. James Giles explores the existential experience of desire at length to answer some of the most complex questions regarding the object of sexual desire. He provides a systematic reflection and phenomenological description of sexual desire that is a must read for sex educators, philosophers, researchers, and graduate students interested in sexuality. The reader is sure to obtain valuable insight on the problem and object of sexual desire as well as the experience of gender and love in relation to sexual desire.
(Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity )If you are looking for a detailed analysis, from a multi-theoretical and philosophical perspective, on human sexual desire, this text stands alone for its innovative and comprehensive approach. (Aids Care )
The book is an engaging read, even if one disagrees with its approach or findings, and is certainly provocative in more ways than one.
(Anthropological Forum )About the Author
James Giles was born in Vancouver, Canada and received his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh. He is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Guam and Tutor at Madingley Hall, University of Cambridge. Among his writings is No Self to be Found: The Search for Personal Identity.
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James Giles is a philosopher and psychologist. He is Lecturer in Philosophy at La Trobe University, Australia, and Lecturer in the University of Cambridge, Institute for Continuing Education. He has taught at several universities in different countries. Giles' writings on philosophical psychology, relationships, and sexuality are widely discussed. He is the originator of the Vulnerability and Care Theory of Love, and the idea that dependency, paternalism, masochism, and sadism are love-orientations with diverse responses to vulnerability. For Giles, sexual desire is related to love through vulnerability and care as desires for mutual baring and caressing. It is existential need rooted in the experience of ourselves as incomplete gendered beings. Related to this is his Naked Love Theory of human hairlessness. This theory locates the evolutionary origin of naked skin in the ancestral mother's pleasure in naked contact with the infant. Naked skin, he argues, was one of the preconditions for the appearance of romantic love.
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