What is Hedonism?
Hedonism refers to the philosophical concept that prioritizes pleasure as the most important good and the primary motivation for human behavior. There are several key types of hedonism:
Table of Contents
Axiological/Value Hedonism
This is the view that pleasure is the only thing that has intrinsic value, and that all other things are only valuable insofar as they lead to pleasure.
Normative/Ethical Hedonism
This is the view that we should act in ways that maximize pleasure and minimize pain, as this is the ultimate ethical good.
Psychological/Motivational Hedonism
This is the empirical claim that all human behavior is ultimately motivated by the desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
Origins and History of Hedonism
The term “hedonism” derives from the Greek word “hēdonismos” meaning “delight”. Early philosophical schools that espoused hedonistic views include:
- The Cyrenaics, a 4th century BC Greek school that held pleasure as the sole intrinsic good.
- Epicureanism, a Hellenistic philosophy that advocated a simple life focused on modest, sustainable pleasures.
- The Charvaka school of Hinduism, a Nāstika (heterodox) school that embraced hedonistic views.
Hedonism has had a complex relationship with Christian and Islamic ethics over history, with some tensions but also areas of overlap.In summary, hedonism is a multifaceted philosophical concept with various types, each with its own arguments, criticisms, and historical development. The nature of pleasure and its relationship to value, ethics, and human motivation remain active areas of debate.
The Nature of Pleasure
Pleasure is generally defined as a positive, enjoyable experience that contrasts with pain or suffering. Theories of pleasure try to determine what all pleasurable experiences have in common. Some key ideas:
- Quality theories hold that pleasure is a distinct quality or property of pleasurable experiences.
- Attitude theories state that pleasure depends on the subject’s attitude towards the experience, rather than being an intrinsic property.
- Pleasure and pain are often conceived as a dimension, with positive degrees of pleasure, a neutral point, and negative degrees of pain.
- The term “happiness” is used to refer to a balance or preponderance of pleasure over pain.
Arguments For and Against Hedonism
Arguments For Hedonism
- Provides a simple, unified account of what has intrinsic value (pleasure) and what motivates behavior (pleasure-seeking).
- Reflects the common intuition that pleasure feels inherently valuable.
- Can explain the value of many things we care about in terms of their pleasurable aspects.
Arguments Against Hedonism
- Counterexamples of pleasures that seem to lack value or have negative value.
- Many things besides pleasure seem valuable to us (e.g. knowledge, achievement, beauty).
- The “paradox of hedonism” – that pleasure-seeking behavior can be self-defeating.
- Criticisms that hedonism has a narrow, reductive view of human motivation and well-being.
Axiological/Value Hedonism
Axiological hedonism is the view that only pleasure has intrinsic value, and that all other things are only valuable insofar as they lead to pleasure. Key points:
- Distinguishes between intrinsic and instrumental value – pleasure is claimed to have intrinsic value.
- Quantitative hedonists (e.g. Bentham) hold that only the quantity of pleasure matters, not its quality.
- Qualitative hedonists (e.g. Mill) argue that the quality or type of pleasure is also relevant to its value.
The main objections to axiological hedonism are:
- Counterexamples of pleasures that seem to lack value or have negative value.
- The intuition that many things besides pleasure seem valuable to us.
Normative/Ethical Hedonism
Ethical hedonism is the view that we should act in ways that maximize pleasure and minimize pain, as this is the ultimate ethical good. Key points:
- A form of consequentialism that judges the rightness of actions based on their consequences in terms of pleasure and pain.
- Can be individualistic (maximizing the agent’s own pleasure) or altruistic (maximizing the total pleasure of everyone).
- Faces objections that it has a narrow view of morality and ignores other important ethical considerations besides just pleasure and pain.
Psychological/Motivational Hedonism
Psychological hedonism is the empirical claim that all human behavior is ultimately motivated by the desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Key points:
- Provides a simple, unified theory of human motivation.
- Faces counterexamples of actions that don’t seem plausibly explained by pleasure-seeking.
- Critics argue it is an overgeneralization and that pleasure-seeking is just one type of motivating force among others.
The Paradox of Hedonism
The paradox of hedonism refers to the idea that pleasure-seeking behavior can be self-defeating – that directly pursuing pleasure can undermine one’s ability to actually experience pleasure. This poses a challenge for hedonistic theories.
Aesthetic Hedonism
Aesthetic hedonism is the view that the value of art and beauty is fundamentally grounded in the pleasurable experiences they provide. Key points:
- Defines beauty in terms of the pleasure it provides in its apprehension.
- Faces objections that not all experiences of beauty are purely pleasurable, and that there are other important aspects of aesthetic value besides just pleasure.
In summary, hedonism is a multifaceted philosophical concept with various types, each with its own arguments, criticisms, and historical development. The nature of pleasure and its relationship to value, ethics, and human motivation remain active areas of debate.