Book cover of Growth and Guilt: Psychology and the Limits of Development. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Chinese edition of Italian contemporary psychoanalyst Luigi Zoja's book, Growth and Guilt: Psychology and the Limits of Development, was released in China last month.

Zoja came to Beijing in mid-September and had a dialogue with Chinese scholars Zhang Ming and Yu Shicun about his book.

Zoja is the former chairman of the Italian Psychoanalytic Association and International Association for Analytical Psychology.

Combining historical and cultural angles with professional perspectives on analytical psychology, Zoja points out in his book that the relentless exploitation of the Earth's resources and the boundless technological advance are a matter of urgent concern.

Zoja says that the concern with the limits of growth reflects something more than an awareness of new technological problems — it also exposes a feeling of guilt that can be traced back to Greek times.

Zoja also compared China's culture of moderation with ancient Western culture in the discussion.

The Chinese scholars commented on the environmental and spiritual costs that technological development has brought to human civilization, the expansion and limits of development, and the cultural reconstruction behind classical images.

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