Sexuality: expression of desire or physiological activity?

This article by Claude Hiffler, drawn from the roundtable discussions of an Orthodox theology conference, addresses the question of human sexuality in its anthropological and spiritual complexity. Adopting a reflective and deliberately open approach, the author refuses fixed definitions in favor of observation and questioning. The central idea is that sexuality cannot be reduced to a biological function or a simple expression of desire, but constitutes an energy called to be humanized and transfigured in love. The article identifies four forms of the distortion of desire — biological reductionism, contempt for the body, false liberation, and psychological trauma — and examines them in the light of Scripture and Orthodox tradition. The theological contribution lies in the rehabilitation of chastity as the integrity of the person and in the articulation between eros, conjugal love, and spiritual life, under the sign of divine mercy.