Addiction and the Human Condition challenges reductive views of addiction as merely a medical disorder, moral failing, or loss of self-control, approaching it instead as a deeply human phenomenon that raises fundamental questions of freedom, identity, suffering, meaning, and recovery. Drawing on perspectives from philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, cultural studies, and spirituality, the volume examines addiction not only as pathology but as a lens for understanding human vulnerability and resilience. The essays explore biological and psychological foundations, questions of agency and responsibility, contemporary forms of addiction in food, pornography, and digital culture, as well as existential suffering and the role of spirituality in recovery. Together, they advocate a compassionate, integrative framework that affirms responsibility and hope while resisting moral blame and fatalistic determinism.

Dolichan Kollareth, SJ, holds Master’s degrees in Psychology and Philosophy, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology. He currently serves as President of Jnana Deepa, Pontifical Athenaeum of Philosophy and Theology, Pune, and as Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy. He is also a Visiting Professor of Psychology at St. Vincent’s College, Pune, and a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College, USA. His research focuses on the intersections of emotion, morality, and culture, and his work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals.

Joel Dsouza, SJ, holds a Licentiate in Systematic Philosophy from Jnana Deepa (Pontifical Athenaeum), Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Pune. He teaches History of Western Philosophy and Philosophy of Science at Sacred Heart College, Satya Nilayam, Chennai. His academic interests include the history of philosophy, metaphysics, and memory studies.