Hedonism Definition Essay

He get dressedism as a philosophy demarcates the honest in terms of pleasure and throe, and is the knowledge domainview that holds to the doctrine that pleasure is the greatest good. Now, who wouldnt define pleasure as good? argonnt we all in all by this interpretation Hedonists? Here is where those three little letters, i-s-m make their impact. As we have learned, the postfix -ism transforms a word into a title for an entire life and world view. Hedonism indicates a system of idea, a lense through which to view the introduction in which the summum bonum, the highest good of man and the ultimate purpose of his being is ready in the enjoyment of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. So what is desire for chthonic this system, constantly and continuously is the increase of pleasure and the decrease of pain. The roots of Hedonism jackpot be traced back to the fifth century BC to the ancient classic school of the Cyrenaics. The Cyrenaics were named after their native city of Cy rene in North Africa.Their focusing on the pleasure of the moment as the supreme good reflected a general skepticism Only immediate sensations can be known. fright with the past or the future ca employs uncertainty and anxiety, and should therefore be avoided. hoggish excess and reckless abandon in cozyity and the use of alcoholic beverage argon associated with this particular philosophic principal. Greek religious devotion to the deity Dionysius and later Roman celebrations of the Bacchanalia, orgiastic festivals honoring Bacchus, the god of wine are similar manifestations of a Cyrenaic-style Hedonism. In these cases, the celebrant sought liberation from every-day inhibitions and a mystical experience of ecstasy, aided at times by synagogue prostitutes. The Epicurean school of hedonistic philosophy might be looked on as the next stage of Hedonism. Named after its founder, Epicurus, and started around 306 BC, Epicureanism was a more moderate variety of the seeking of pleasur e, recognizing the problem ofThe Hedonistic ParadoxIf you dont achieve what is sought, you fall back by frustration, if you do achieve what is sought, you lose by boredom. Either way, pleasure is not consistently attained. Therefore Epicureans sought not necessarily the maximum pleasure, but instead the optimum pleasure, all things considered. Too much wine leads to a hangover, not euphoria. So the fit enjoyment of pleasure was the means by which Epicureans sought to achieve philosophical ataraxia, or peace of mind. The term epicurean is scour in use today as denoting a person of exquisite tastes and gourmet palate, enjoying the finer things in life in a refined and sophisticated manner. Hedonism capitalizes on the natural attraction to pleasure and aversion to pain with which we, as imprint creatures, are naturally endowed. Turning the pursuit of pleasure into an ultimate standstill of time value, the hedonist determines the very meaning of goodness in terms of pain and pleasu re.Modern forms of Hedonism can be clearly seen, along with their consequences in our favorable environment. The modern pursuit of happiness, redefined as the pursuit of euphoria, has resulted in extreme expressions of relief valve such as medicate abuse and alcoholism affecting even the youngest members of society. Happiness has been translated almost exclusively into the category of olfactory propertyings. The function of the word feelings in contemporary culture has undergone a natural change. The concept is so pervasive that standard traditional forms of language, categorical propositions and prefatory adducements about theoretical thought have changed to accommodate this word. How often have you heard someone state the following? I feel that you are mistaken, or, I feel that (this or that) is wrong. What is actually being talked about here is not a feeling, its a cognitive process, its thinking.That is not to say that feelings are unimportant feelings are a vital part of what it means to be human. For the work of the physician, counselor or the psychologist feelings are a totally abstract category to investigate. In inter-personal relationships youd better be dealing with the issues of feelings or chances are youre not communicating very well. Feeling, however is not the same thing as thinking. The concept has so permeated our culture that masses are talking about feeling ideas and feeling thoughts. Largely referable to pop psychology we have become obsessed with the analysis of our moods, which is a focus on our feelings. How has this impacted our lives? If you are a thinking person you already know the answer to that question. Assuming youve been awake at some point during the last thirty years, you already know about the drug culture you live in it. Youve heard the statistics on teenage alcoholism.Youve seen the intimate revolution, and its results. The accepted definition of the word promiscuity prior to the 1960s was Sexual involvement with more than one person outside the bonds of wedlock. The liberated Helen Gurley Brown gave us a new definition Having sexual relations with more than one person in the same day. Are you aware that the divorce rate in the United States is estimated at lambert percent? It is when we buy into the doctrine that life is to be lived to escape pain, including function for anything uncomfortable that we begin to feel the impact of a philosophy of radical Hedonism.By saying the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure is the good (not just good, but The Good), Hedonism is making a value judgement, which in the hierarchical structure of philosophy produces a system of ethics, which in turn produces behavior patterns of morality. These are the cultural, ethical and philosophical reasons for the changes we have seen in society. As in all forms of philosophy based in secularism, Hedonism removes the Transcendent, destroys any Ultimate basis for Truth and Goodness, and leaves us with feel ings, preferences, and a totally congenital basis for ethics and morality. http//www.angelfire.com/az/experiment/hedonism.html