CHAPTER 6 ➔ “Anything is good which produces pleasure,
Pleasure and that is best, which produces the most
● Philosophy, as organized human wisdom, vivid and intense pleasure.”
is supposed to show a man how to avoid ➔ Virtue is useful as restraining us from
falling into any such unhappy state and to excessive passion, which is rough motion
give positive help. and unpleasant.
● In search of something that might make life
satisfactory, the most obvious candidate is ➔ later refined by Epicurus, who joined it to
pleasure. the physical theories of Democritus
● There is truly a place for pleasure in the ➔ Epicurus: the end of life is not intense
good life. pleasure, but an abiding peace of mind, a
● Many think that pleasure is the only element state of cheerful tranquility
in the good life, and this view expressed ➔ “Intellectual pleasures are better because
philosophically is called hedonism. they are more lasting, but we cannot do
without sense pleasures.”
Introduction to Hedonism
➔ assumes two (2) chief forms, according to ➔ Thomas Hobbes: subscribe to a hedonistic
whose pleasure is sought view with a strong strain of egoism
◆ Egoistic hedonism - concentrates ➔ He thinks that nothing is by itself good or
on the personal pleasure of the evil, but that those are names we give to
individual what we desire or detest.
◆ Altruistic hedonism - seeks the ◆ Desire - what will give us pleasure,
pleasure of others; if it embraces wither of body and mind
that of the whole human race, it is ◆ Detest - what gives us displeasure
often called universalistic ➔ Not thinking of tranquility landed by
hedonism. Epicureans to be possible in this struggling
world, but thought that the formation of the
Note: We shall reserve the word hedonism for the political state is our only means of
egoistic variety and call altruistic and universalistic controlling the struggle and making life
variety, utilitarianism. bearable
➔ Society is formed for peace and safety of
Hedonism each particular person
➔ first proposed by Aristippus, leader of
Cyrenaic school, who identified happiness ➔ Jeremy Bentham: did not limit his
with pleasure hedonism to egoistic type and is commonly
➔ Aristippus: held that pleasure results from regarded as the founder of utilitarianism
gentle motion, and pain from rough motion ➔ His statement of the hedonistic principle is
classic
◆ Nature has placed mankind under
the governance of two (2) sovereign
masters: pain and pleasure.
◆ It is with these two to point out what
we ought to do, as to determine
what we shall do.
◆ On one hand, the standard of right
and wrong; the other, the chain of
causes and effects
◆ Principle of Utility - recognizes the
subjection, and assumes it for the
foundation of that system, the object
of which is to rear the fabric of
felicity by the hands of reason and
law
➔
