Skin and Soul™: Beyond the Pale with Gwenm A. Carsley: Desire, Purpose, and the Hunger for Something Real

What’s the difference between pleasure and purpose — between the quick hit of happiness and the quiet satisfaction of meaning?

In this episode, Gwenm sits with Justin McSweeny, philosopher of mind and host of an interview series exploring sense-making and identity, to talk about the space where eros meets consciousness. Together they explore the longing that drives us — the hunger for depth in a world that keeps us on the surface.

Justin brings insights from philosophy of mind and third-generation cognitive science — how we build meaning, construct self, and relate to our own becoming. Gwenm brings it back into the body — where desire, purpose, and soul all converge.

They talk about hedonic versus eudaimonic happiness, the intelligence of desire, and what it means to live with presence instead of performance.