FAQs about Hedonism

Discussion in 'Hedonism' started by Meagain, Apr 9, 2005.

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  1. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    What does the word Hedonism mean?
    The term Hedonist was first used in 1822 when referring to the Greek Cyrenaic school of philosophy. It comes from the word Greek word hedonikos, which means pleasurable and itself comes from the word hedone, which means pleasure. It is related to hedys, which means sweet.

    What is Hedonism?
    Hedonism defines "the good" in terms of pleasure and pain, and holds to the doctrine that pleasure is the greatest good. It is a system of thought in which the "highest good" of man is found in the enjoyment of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.

    Who founded Hedonism?
    Aristippus of Cyrene was the father of Hedonism in the fifth century B.C.E. He taught that pleasure such as love, friendship, and mental activity is the ultimate object of endeavor and founded the Cyrenaic School of philosophy.

    What is the Cyrenaic School of Hedonistic philosophy?
    The Cyrenaic School taught that only immediate sensations can be known. Worry about the past and future causes anxiety and should be avoided. Celebrants of this school may have sought liberation and a mystical experience of ecstasy through the use of alcohol, and sometimes with the aid of sacred temple prostitutes.

    Did this work?
    A problem with this philosophy, some thought, was that if you didn't achieve pleasure you lost. But also, if pleasure is achieved, you eventually become bored. This leads to inconsistent enjoyment. In 306 B.C.E. Epicurus started a school that did not emphasize maximum pleasure, but instead, strove for a balanced optimum pleasure and a lessening of desire. Today an Epicurean is one who enjoys things in life in a refined and sophisticated manner.

    What else did the Epicurean School of Hedonism teach?
    Epicurus taught the superiority of social and intellectual pleasures over those of the senses. Pain and self-restraint have a hedonistic value; for if pain occurs it is sometimes a necessary means to health and enjoyment. Self-restraint and prudent asceticism are also needed if pleasure is to be attained.

    How else can Hedonism be defined?
    Hedonism can also be broken down it Motivational Hedonism and Normative Hedonism.

    So what�s Motivational Hedonism?
    Motivational hedonism claims that only our personal pleasure or pain motivates us. Any confirmed case of an individual being motivated by something other than pleasure or pain would refute motivational hedonism.

    What ïs Normative Hedonism?
    Normative hedonism claims that only pleasure has value, and only pain has disvalue independently of the value of anything they might cause or prevent. Friendships, actions, understanding, character, etc. have only instrumental worth, through the pleasure they cause or the pain they diminish.

    Who are some later day subscribers to Hedonistic principles?
    The English philosophers, Hobbes, Hartley, Bentham, James Mill, John Stuart Mill, the two Austins, Walter Pater, and Alexander Bain all subscibe to this philosophy




    These questions are offered as a simple introduction to Hedonism.
    They are presented as an opportunity for further exploration and understanding. No claim is made as to their accuracy or validity.
    .
     
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