Finally, Lacan's "Desire is the Desire of the Other" explained in a lively way! I think it actually makes sense to me now! This post might even raise my respect for Lacan, whom I've thought of, up to now, as an insufferable charlatan.... If only more of his thought was translated into formats like this... Thanks for the mind-expansion!
I love this. My husband has been telling me about _petit object a_ since we met twenty three years ago. This does a better job of explaining lol. But I’m not sure I get the conclusion. Why would the alien be questioning their own desire structure based on this conversation?
Thanks Trysa. I won't say too much so as not to spoil the execution with an explainer but basically it is playing on the idea that a psyche with satisfiable desires can be said to have something missing too (unsatisfiable desires) while nodding towards Lacan's "lack" on the human side.
Actually, today's theme is large concern in Catholic theology.
Most Catholic theologians would agree that Karl Rahner was the most important Catholic theologian of the 20th century. He argued that human beings are created dissatisfied, as noted by St Augustine, "our hearts are restless until they rest in thee." We don't know what we want until we find God, and finding God is no easy task. I was always entertained by the obscure Thomist phrase that God is the prime appetitable.
The following is an AI summary (Bing Copilot) of Rahner's thought. Since my PHD is not in theological anthropology, I do not have the tools to provide you a better summary, although I know enough to affirm that this is a good summary.
Karl Rahner taught that every human person has a built‑in *transcendental orientation towardGod*—a structural openness to the infinite that shapes all knowing, choosing, and desiring.** [philopedia.org](https://philopedia.org/thinkers/karl-rahner/)
## 🌟 What Rahner meant by the “transcendental orientation” of the human person
Rahner’s entire theological anthropology is built on one core claim:
### **1. Human beings are always already oriented toward God**
Rahner argued that the human person is structured as a **“supernatural existential”**—meaning that our very capacity to know, love, and act is permeated by God’s self‑communication. We are not neutral beings who later encounter God; we are **constitutively open to the infinite**. [philopedia.org](https://philopedia.org/thinkers/karl-rahner/)
### **2. This orientation is transcendental, not empirical**
“Transcendental” here means **pre‑reflective** and **built into the conditions of possibility** for experience.
For Rahner, every act of knowing or choosing implicitly reaches beyond finite objects toward **absolute truth, goodness, and meaning**—which ultimately points to God. [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/rahner/)
### **3. Human subjectivity is dynamic and always reaching beyond itself**
Drawing from Aquinas, Kant, Maréchal, and Rousselot, Rahner held that the mind is **dynamically oriented toward the Absolute**. This is why humans seek unity, meaning, and fulfillment that no finite object can satisfy. [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/rahner/)
### **5. Everyday experience is implicitly graced**
Because of this transcendental orientation, ordinary human experience is already touched by grace. Grace is not an add‑on; it is the **deep structure of human existence**. [philopedia.org](https://philopedia.org/thinkers/karl-rahner/)
## 🧠 Why Rahner’s idea matters
Rahner’s transcendental anthropology reshaped modern Catholic theology by showing that:
- **Faith is rooted in human nature**, not imposed from outside.
- **All people, even non‑Christians, can experience God**, leading to his idea of the “anonymous Christian.”
- **Human freedom and responsibility** are grounded in our orientation toward the infinite.
His approach helped the Church articulate doctrine in a way that engages modern philosophy and human experience.
The human person is **structurally oriented toward God**, and this transcendental openness is the foundation of all knowledge, freedom, and grace. This is one of the central pillars of his “transcendental Thomism.”
Finally, Lacan's "Desire is the Desire of the Other" explained in a lively way! I think it actually makes sense to me now! This post might even raise my respect for Lacan, whom I've thought of, up to now, as an insufferable charlatan.... If only more of his thought was translated into formats like this... Thanks for the mind-expansion!
I love this. My husband has been telling me about _petit object a_ since we met twenty three years ago. This does a better job of explaining lol. But I’m not sure I get the conclusion. Why would the alien be questioning their own desire structure based on this conversation?
Thanks Trysa. I won't say too much so as not to spoil the execution with an explainer but basically it is playing on the idea that a psyche with satisfiable desires can be said to have something missing too (unsatisfiable desires) while nodding towards Lacan's "lack" on the human side.
Some of their scholars have figured it out, but they really struggle to talk about it in anything other than dense philosophical puzzles
👌
Actually, today's theme is large concern in Catholic theology.
Most Catholic theologians would agree that Karl Rahner was the most important Catholic theologian of the 20th century. He argued that human beings are created dissatisfied, as noted by St Augustine, "our hearts are restless until they rest in thee." We don't know what we want until we find God, and finding God is no easy task. I was always entertained by the obscure Thomist phrase that God is the prime appetitable.
The following is an AI summary (Bing Copilot) of Rahner's thought. Since my PHD is not in theological anthropology, I do not have the tools to provide you a better summary, although I know enough to affirm that this is a good summary.
Karl Rahner taught that every human person has a built‑in *transcendental orientation towardGod*—a structural openness to the infinite that shapes all knowing, choosing, and desiring.** [philopedia.org](https://philopedia.org/thinkers/karl-rahner/)
## 🌟 What Rahner meant by the “transcendental orientation” of the human person
Rahner’s entire theological anthropology is built on one core claim:
### **1. Human beings are always already oriented toward God**
Rahner argued that the human person is structured as a **“supernatural existential”**—meaning that our very capacity to know, love, and act is permeated by God’s self‑communication. We are not neutral beings who later encounter God; we are **constitutively open to the infinite**. [philopedia.org](https://philopedia.org/thinkers/karl-rahner/)
### **2. This orientation is transcendental, not empirical**
“Transcendental” here means **pre‑reflective** and **built into the conditions of possibility** for experience.
For Rahner, every act of knowing or choosing implicitly reaches beyond finite objects toward **absolute truth, goodness, and meaning**—which ultimately points to God. [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/rahner/)
### **3. Human subjectivity is dynamic and always reaching beyond itself**
Drawing from Aquinas, Kant, Maréchal, and Rousselot, Rahner held that the mind is **dynamically oriented toward the Absolute**. This is why humans seek unity, meaning, and fulfillment that no finite object can satisfy. [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/rahner/)
### **4. Humans are “hearers of the Word”**
Rahner described the human person as fundamentally a **listener for God’s self‑communication**—a being whose freedom and reason are shaped by this openness. [philopedia.org](https://philopedia.org/thinkers/karl-rahner/)
### **5. Everyday experience is implicitly graced**
Because of this transcendental orientation, ordinary human experience is already touched by grace. Grace is not an add‑on; it is the **deep structure of human existence**. [philopedia.org](https://philopedia.org/thinkers/karl-rahner/)
## 🧠 Why Rahner’s idea matters
Rahner’s transcendental anthropology reshaped modern Catholic theology by showing that:
- **Faith is rooted in human nature**, not imposed from outside.
- **All people, even non‑Christians, can experience God**, leading to his idea of the “anonymous Christian.”
- **Human freedom and responsibility** are grounded in our orientation toward the infinite.
His approach helped the Church articulate doctrine in a way that engages modern philosophy and human experience.
The human person is **structurally oriented toward God**, and this transcendental openness is the foundation of all knowledge, freedom, and grace. This is one of the central pillars of his “transcendental Thomism.”