Hedonism

By Nominis Expers

Hedonism as a philosophy defines "the good" in terms of pleasure and pain, and is the
worldview that holds to the doctrine that pleasure is the greatest good. Now, who wouldn't define pleasure as good? ren't we all !y this definition Hedonists? Here is where those three little letters, "i"s"m" ma#e their impact. s we have learned, the suffix ""ism" transforms a word into a title for an entire life and world view. Hedonism indicates a system of thought, a lense through which to view the universe in which the "summum !onum", the "highest good" of man and the ultimate purpose of his !eing is found in the en$oyment of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. %o what is sought for under this system, constantly and continuously is the increase of pleasure and the decrease of pain. &he roots of Hedonism can !e traced !ac# to the fifth century B' to the ancient (ree# school of the 'yrenaics. &he 'yrenaics were named after their native city of 'yrene in North frica. &heir focus on the pleasure of the moment as the supreme good reflected a general s#epticism) *nly immediate sensations can !e #nown. 'oncern with the past or the future causes uncertainty and anxiety, and should therefore !e avoided. (ross excess and rec#less a!andon in sexuality and the use of alcohol are associated with this particular philosophical principal. (ree# religious devotion to the god +ionysius and later ,oman cele!rations of the Bacchanalia, orgiastic festivals honoring Bacchus, the god of wine are similar manifestations of a 'yrenaic"style Hedonism. -n these cases, the cele!rant sought li!eration from every"day inhi!itions and a mystical experience of ecstasy, aided at times !y temple prostitutes. &he Epicurean school of hedonistic philosophy might !e loo#ed on as the next stage of Hedonism. Named after its founder, Epicurus, and started around ./0 B', Epicureanism was a more moderate variety of the see#ing of pleasure, recogni1ing the pro!lem of) The Hedonistic Paradox -f you don't achieve what is sought, you lose !y frustration, if you do achieve what is sought, you lose !y !oredom. Either way, pleasure is not consistently attained. &herefore Epicureans sought not necessarily the "maximum" pleasure, !ut instead the "optimum" pleasure, all things considered. &oo much wine leads to a hangover, not euphoria. %o the !alanced en$oyment of pleasure was the means !y which Epicureans sought to achieve philosophical ataraxia, or peace of mind. &he term "epicurean" is even in use today as denoting a person of ex2uisite tastes and gourmet palate, en$oying the finer things in life in a refined and sophisticated manner. Hedonism capitali1es on the natural attraction to pleasure and aversion to pain with which we, as feeling creatures, are naturally endowed. &urning the pursuit of pleasure into an ultimate standpoint of value, the hedonist determines the very meaning of "goodness" in terms of pain and pleasure. 3odern forms of Hedonism can !e clearly seen, along with their conse2uences in our social environment. &he modern pursuit of happiness, redefined as the pursuit of euphoria, has resulted in extreme expressions of escapism such as drug a!use and alcoholism affecting even the youngest mem!ers of society. "Happiness" has !een translated almost exclusively into the

category of "feelings". &he function of the word "feelings" in contemporary culture has undergone a radical change. &he concept is so pervasive that standard traditional forms of language, categorical propositions and prefatory statements a!out theoretical thought have changed to accommodate this word. How often have you heard someone state the following?) "- feel that you are mista#en", or, "- feel that 4this or that5 is wrong." 6hat is actually !eing tal#ed a!out here is not a feeling, it's a cognitive process, it's thinking. &hat is not to say that feelings are unimportant7 feelings are a vital part of what it means to !e human. 8or the wor# of the physician, counselor or the psychologist feelings are a totally appropriate category to investigate. -n inter"personal relationships you'd better !e dealing with the issues of feelings or chances are you're not communicating very well. 8eeling, however is not the same thing as thin#ing. &he concept has so permeated our culture that people are tal#ing a!out feeling ideas and feeling thoughts. 9argely due to "pop psychology" we have !ecome o!sessed with the analysis of our moods, which is a focus on our feelings. How has this impacted our lives? -f you are a thin#ing person you already #now the answer to that 2uestion. ssuming you've !een awa#e at some point during the last thirty years, you already #now a!out the "drug culture"7 you live in it. :ou've heard the statistics on teenage alcoholism. :ou've seen the "sexual revolution", and its results. &he accepted definition of the word "promiscuity" prior to the ;<0/'s was )"%exual involvement with more than one person outside the !onds of marriage". &he "li!erated" Helen (urley Brown gave us a new definition) "Having sexual relations with more than one person in the same day." re you aware that the divorce rate in the =nited %tates is estimated at fifty percent? -t is when we !uy into the doctrine that life is to !e lived to escape pain, including responsi!ility for anything uncomforta!le that we !egin to feel the impact of a philosophy of radical Hedonism. By saying the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure is "the good" 4not $ust 'good', !ut "The Good"5, Hedonism is ma#ing a value $udgement, which in the hierarchical structure of philosophy produces a system of ethics, which in turn produces !ehavior patterns of morality. &hese are the cultural, ethical and philosophical reasons for the changes we have seen in society. s in all forms of philosophy !ased in secularism, Hedonism removes the &ranscendent, destroys any =ltimate !asis for &ruth and (oodness, and leaves us with "feelings", preferences, and a totally su!$ective !asis for ethics and morality.