The Morphology of Desire: Buddhist Śūnyatā, AI-Mediated Satiation, and a New Framework for Understanding Human Want
PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) March 19, 2026 Kenshiro Osada
This paper proposes a novel framework for understanding desire, drawing on Yogācāra Buddhist psychology, affective neuroscience, and the emerging conditions created by artificial intelligence. The central argument is threefold. First, desire is not a response to external lack but the morphology of an internal void—a structural feature of consciousness rather than a deficiency to be remedied....