Explored the various corresponding vocabulary of the Chinese word 'Эрос' and its attention to Chinese erotic culture in the Russian sinology community. Russian sinologists have a strong interest in the study of Chinese erotic literature, even forming an independent research field called "Russian Erotics". Mikhail Epstein's book "Desire: Between Love and Sex", with its beautiful language and rich dialogic nature, engages in dialogue with classic philosophers and writers to explore the theme of desire. Epstein's academic background and inheritance and development of the interpretation of desire in the history of Russian philosophy provide important perspectives for understanding the book 'Desire'.

The History of 'Russian Desire'

Russia's focus on love originated from the late 10th century Christianization, where religious thinkers viewed love as a medium for believers to communicate with God. The Christian tradition regards heart and love as a unique method of religious emotional cognition. Plato's view of love and desire in classical philosophy also influenced Russian thinkers, such as Skafaroda in the 18th century. In the 20th century, philosophers such as Homiakov constructed the "aggregation" theory of the Russian national spirit based on the principle of love, forming a unique "metaphysics of the heart". The "Silver Age" at the beginning of the 20th century was the peak of academic attention on Russian love and desire, with the emergence of important philosophers such as Solovyov. Solovyov proposed the idea of "unity of all things", emphasizing the importance of love between genders and the view that love is an independent happiness. Berdyaev explored the relationship between desire and creativity in "Desire and Personality" and developed the concept of "hermaphroditism". Florensky believed that love is the population's understanding of the essence of God, distinguishing between desire, friendship, and 'divine love'. The exploration of sexual desire in the Soviet era was put on hold, and in the 1990s, Horuzh's "collaborative anthropology" provided a new perspective for the study of sexual desire. The study of Russian sexuality is closely related to religion and has a unique Russian theme.

Find the location of love and desire

The third part of Epstein's book "Desire", "Desire: Between Love and Sex", delves into the ontology of desire and redefines the study of desire through semantic analysis. The book compares the differences between "eroticism" and "sexology", pointing out that eroticism is an art that explores the standards, satisfaction, and desires of love, while sexology is based on biology and studies issues in the sexual process. Erotics focuses on the relationship between human survival and individual conditions, such as love and jealousy, desire and satisfaction, and is fundamentally different from the research object of sexology. Epstein proposed that the phenomenon of desire includes three parts: sex, desire, and love. Desire is the intermediate level of relationships between individuals, distinguished from sex and love. He defined sex as a form of population reproduction, where desire represents an individual's mortality and longing, and love is an individual's immortality and ability to become someone else. The consciousness of death is the driving force of the desire for love, and the process of transforming desire into love, because love pursues eternity. Epstein also discussed the creativity and pleasure of desire, as well as the relationship between desire and the process of civilization. The book lists important achievements in the study of eroticism, such as Plato's "Symposium" and Solovyov's "The Meaning of Love," proving the feasibility of establishing the discipline of eroticism. Epstein's model is based on the native Russian language, and it is difficult to find corresponding vocabulary in Chinese, indicating that it is not easy to provide a universally meaningful definition.

Love and Desire and the Changes of Civilized Society

Epstein explored the relationship between desire and history in his paper, arguing that the historical process is influenced by the order of desire, and temptation plays a role in it. He analyzed the theories of Freud and Jung, pointing out the similarity between individual desire experiences and cultural changes, and understood certain political phenomena in history from three ways in which individuals handle desires. Liberalism and conservatism, as historical forces, alternately influence the development of history. Epstein also cited the theories of Marx, Marcuse, and Derrida to explain the extreme forms of historical development. He is concerned that the revolutionary utopias and extreme abnormal forces of the second half of the 20th century may lead to the stagnation of civilization or the depletion of desires. Epstein sorted out the effects of desire in different historical stages, from the Enlightenment era to postmodernism, where the forms and cultural backgrounds of desire are constantly changing. He proposed that for the future of humanity, one should cultivate and manage their desires, and utilize their energy for creative activities. Bataye proposed an idealized wealth expenditure plan, but Epstein's viewpoint is more constructive.

Establishing a new discourse field of 'Russian lust'

In depth exploration was conducted on how Epstein integrated the viewpoints of different philosophers through dialogic research methods in his book 'Desire', constructing a new discourse field of 'Russian Desire'. The book not only involves Western philosophers such as Plato and Spinoza, but also delves into the thoughts of Russian philosophers such as Solovyov and Berdyaev. The author points out that although Russian and Western philosophers seem to coexist on the topic, there are significant differences in reality. Russian love tends to touch the soul and discuss profound themes. Epstein's research is more general in its references to Western philosophers, while its exploration of Russian writers and philosophers is more in-depth, extending the theory to the current context and proposing novel perspectives.