The bliss and pleasure of Gideon was recognized as the highest good. What is hedonism
Review of hedonistic teachings
The founder of hedonism is considered to be the ancient Greek philosopher Aristippus (435-355 BC), a contemporary of Socrates. Aristippus distinguishes two states of the human soul: pleasure as a soft, gentle movement and pain as a rough, impetuous movement of the soul. At the same time, no distinction is made between types of pleasure, each of which in its essence is qualitatively similar to the other. The path to happiness, according to Aristippus, lies in achieving maximum pleasure while avoiding pain. The meaning of life, according to Aristippus, is precisely in obtaining physical pleasure.
Epicurus describes pleasure as the principle of a successful life. Epicurus considers satisfaction of desires to be freedom from reluctance and aversion. The goal in this case is not satisfaction itself, but deliverance from suffering and unhappiness. The highest pleasure and its measure, according to Epicurus, is the absence of pain and suffering. Therefore, happiness is achieved through ataraxia - liberation from pain and anxiety, moderate consumption of earthly goods. Utilitarian Jeremy Bentham called this approach “hedonic prudence.”
Henry Sidgwick, in his account of 19th century utilitarianism, distinguishes between ethical and psychological hedonism. Psychological hedonism is an anthropological hypothesis about man’s desire to increase his own joys. Thus, the prospect of satisfaction or the avoidance of disappointment is the only motive for human actions. Ethical hedonism is, in turn, a normative theory or group of theories that a person must strive for satisfaction - either one's own (hedonic egoism) or universal (universal hedonism or utilitarianism). Unlike Sidgwick, who is a supporter of universal hedonism, Bentham wrote:
Nature has placed man under the power of two sovereign rulers: suffering and joy. They determine what we should do today, and they determine what we will do tomorrow. As the standard of truth and falsehood, so the chains of cause and effect rest at their throne.
David Pearce's work, The Hedonistic Imperative, views hedonism as a fundamental moral value for the entire biosphere.
In cinema
- The Shortbus Club by John Cameron Mitchell is a film that has been called a hymn to hedonism.
- In the animated series “Futurama” there is a minor character - the Hedonist Robot, as the name suggests, who sets the goal of his life to obtain pleasure. He constantly lies on the couch, which is part of his body, and continuously eats grapes.
- Also, ideas of hedonism can be seen in the film “Dorian Gray”. A character named Henry Wotton widely disseminates his ideas among acquaintances and friends. The plot of the film and book by Oscar Wilde is based on the dissemination of these ideas.
see also
Links
- Hedonism- article from the Krugosvet encyclopedia
- A. N. Dolgenko. Decadent hedonism
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Synonyms:See what “Hedonism” is in other dictionaries:
- (Greek hedone pleasure) a type of ethical teachings and moral views in which all moral definitions are derived from pleasure and pain. G. originates from the Cyrenaic school and develops as a type of worldview that defends ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
- (Greek, from hedone pleasure). Greek system philosopher Aristippus, who considered sensual pleasures the highest good of people. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. HEDONISM [Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Hedonism- (gr. hedone – konildilik, rahattana) – adam tershiligi rahattarga umtylyp, azaptardan kashudan turada dep karastyratyn philosophies, ethics principles and moral criteria. Hedonistic philosophy astaryn (subsoil) igiliktin (good)… … Philosophy terminerdin sozdigi
Hedonism- Hedonism ♦ Hedonisme The doctrine that considers pleasure (hedone) as the highest good or moral principle. It is reflected in the views of Aristippus (***), Epicurus (although his hedonism is accompanied by eudaimonism), among the newest... ... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary
hedonism- an ancient concept meaning fun and pleasure in the ethics of the ancient Greek philosophy of the Cyrenaics, it was the basis of the doctrine that recognized the meaning of life as not only bodily, but also spiritual pleasure. Dictionary of a practical psychologist. M.: AST,... ... Great psychological encyclopedia
- (Greek hedone - pleasure) ethical teaching, originally developed by the ancient Greek Cyrene philosophical school and Epicurus; recognizes pleasure as the purpose of life and the highest good; defines good as that which brings pleasure, and evil as that which... ... Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies
hedonism- a, m. hédonisme m. A direction in ethics that recognizes pleasure as the highest good, the purpose of life; desire for pleasure, enjoyment. BAS 2. Lex. Toll 1863: hedonism; Ush. 1935: gedoni/zm; Krysin 1998 ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
- (from the Greek hedone pleasure), a direction in ethics that affirms pleasure, pleasure as the highest goal and the main motive of human behavior... Modern encyclopedia
- (from the Greek hedone pleasure) a direction in ethics that affirms pleasure, pleasure as the highest goal and the main motive of human behavior. In antiquity, developed by Aristippus and the Cyrene school; Epicurus and his followers come close to... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (from the Greek hedone pleasure) an individual’s desire to increase his well-being in the name of maximizing the pleasure received from life. Raizberg B.A., Lozovsky L.Sh., Starodubtseva E.B.. Modern economic dictionary. 2nd ed., rev. M.:... ... Economic dictionary
- (Greek hendone pleasure) an ancient concept meaning fun and pleasure. In the ethics of the ancient Greek Cyrenaic philosophy, this concept was used as the basis for a teaching in which pleasure, but not only bodily pleasure, was recognized as the meaning of life... Psychological Dictionary
Books
- Boris and Gleb, Ranchin Andrey Mikhailovich. The first Russian saints, brothers Boris and Gleb, chose voluntary death for themselves, abandoning the struggle for power over Kiev and the entire Russian land. This happened almost a thousand years ago, in the summer...
Pay attention to our society. It is divided into parts according to the criterion of “a sincere smile on the face, radiating positivity,” moreover, many more people are always dissatisfied with something, and this fact does not necessarily depend on material status or family well-being. Absolutely healthy and successful people do not know how to be happy and enjoy the fact of life itself.
A person who enjoys life and is constantly happy often becomes an outcast from society. A hedonist is a person who is able to take everything from life, while at the same time he can give some of the pleasures to others, his main goal is to constantly receive a feeling of high and a state of eternal happiness.
These days, all students do is complain about poverty and how difficult it is to maintain a dissolute, hedonistic lifestyle.
Jonathan Coe. House of sleep
The origins of hedonism are deeply rooted in history.
Any culture is defined by its teachers and founders. Hedonism can already be recognized for the fact that it originated a long time ago, back in Ancient Greece, and the founder of this trend was the student of the great Socrates, who is still respected.Freud, developing this teaching, determined that a person from the day of his birth is a natural hedonist, but over time everything becomes boring, and to get pleasure from life you need control over your actions and the method “work hard, try - enjoy life.”
Hedonist: the meaning of life in the meaning of the word
Who is a hedonist? Let’s define the meaning of the word. Hedonism is a system of beliefs, principles and human values that define their highest life mission as receiving every second of pleasure.Perhaps society is ready to support good impulses to be happy, but not the methods by which most hedonists achieve their “ceiling” of pleasure.
Ways for hedonists to get a permanent high
A hedonist is convinced that in order to obtain pleasure one can sacrifice the norms of morality, honor and ethics established unspoken in society.
Let's look at the main ways hedonists get pleasure:
- sex;
- alcohol;
- hobby;
- Job;
- Friends;
- confession;
- achieving higher spiritual development.
Our expectations as a barrier to hedonism
Hedonist is, first of all, a philosophical term. From the point of view of human psychology, only he himself can give an assessment of his condition, and it consists of his expectations and attitude towards life and the situations that occur in it. For example, a person can “get” an absolute buzz when eating instant noodles, while another needs to go to dinner at an elite restaurant of their favorite cuisine to find happiness. In both cases, they both get maximum pleasure.In sexual relationships, substitution of concepts can also occur. For some, sex with your beloved wife once a week is absolute bliss, while for others, daily intimacy with different partners is necessary. Much closer to the term “hedonism” will be the one who sets up a “happiness” scale in his head and tries to realize himself in accordance with it.
A hedonist is convinced that he himself makes him happy, therefore, in satisfying primary needs, it is necessary to determine in advance the bar that will allow, by realizing them to a minimum, to get maximum pleasure.
Are hedonists and egoists different people?
Often, hedonists are not liked because they believe that they live only for themselves; in fact, this is not at all the case. When there are happy people nearby, their number is growing every day, you can spread optimism, but doing this is much more difficult than spreading negativity around.
Hedonists try to constantly develop, because by degrading you can only get a short-term high, mainly alcoholics and drug addicts suffer from this. Therefore, it is desirable to have fun without harming others, but first of all, ourselves.
The hedonist approaches the egoist in an effort to comprehend himself spiritually, to find out the purpose of his own “I” and to endow it with absolute happiness in his head. A person who takes grandmothers across the road, helps loved ones financially, and is ready to provide moral support to relatives can also be a hedonist, but only on the condition that his good deeds make him happier every minute.
What is a hedonist afraid of?
The most terrible word for hedonists is “debt”. If you tell him that he must do something or that his obligation includes doing the following, the response will be blame and indifference.Any resistance in his body that separates him from receiving pleasure, an action that is useless in the opinion of the hedonist, brings the human mechanism into a stupor. He turns into a negative character, both for society as a whole and for his family and friends.
A hedonist can be the most responsible person, fulfill all orders efficiently and on time, but there is no need to push and rush him, and, especially, to impose your own opinion on him.
Hedonists among us
Taking a close look at your friends, colleagues at work, family and friends, it is easy to identify a hedonist. These are mostly creative people who lead a different lifestyle from the majority of people, often look or strive to appear younger than their age, can be very active, or have a philosophical outlook on life. They have a distinctive sense of humor, self-irony, are vulnerable, sensitive, and romantic.If you can look into their soul and understand them, then it will be interesting for you to spend time with them, communicate and even do business.
Conclusion
To summarize: hedonists are among us and this factor cannot be refuted. Until we understand their soul and share some of their views, it is difficult for us to accept them into our circle.A hedonist is a person who is able to bring benefit to society without causing harm to his beliefs and principles.
Your choice to become a hedonist or not to accept this teaching at all, but to respect a person who is capable of being happy is simply necessary, because the world develops only with a positive attitude towards him, and not vice versa.
Try to answer a number of questions: how developed is hedonism in you, which of your friends would you define as a true hedonist, and evaluate your attitude towards this term?
PART 2 OF THE COURSE – “COMPONENTS OF HAPPINESS”
CHAPTER 2.6
2.6 HEDONISTIC LIFESTYLE AND ITS LIMITATIONS
A hedonistic lifestyle is pleasant and brings joy to the soul and body. But its main limitation is addiction. The feeling of happiness when receiving any pleasure for the first time is very high. But with repeated repetitions, addiction occurs, and the feeling of happiness can be replaced by a neutral attitude.
The same goes for purchasing new products. At first, every purchase makes me happy. Then - less and less. For example, if a person is fixated on obtaining pleasure from acquiring material goods, then he needs to make more and more expensive purchases in order to continue to feel happiness. The threshold for pleasure is growing.
A hedonistic paradox arises: more and more money and effort are spent on pleasure, but the pleasure itself becomes less and less.
To avoid this paradox, psychologists usually recommend:
1. Make pleasures of the same kind infrequent;
2. Try to enjoy more from the “spiritual” than from the material. Strenuous but exciting activities should be preferred to dull but easy pleasure.
Also, as mentioned earlier:
3. The more developed a person is, the less he has left. time for pleasure;
4. The more developed a person is, the more what brings him pleasure must be more complex, of a higher level. And the less satisfied he is with “simple pleasures”.
Those. We see here two factors that interfere with leading a hedonistic lifestyle - lack of time and insufficient satisfaction from “simple” pleasures. And the more developed a person is, the more noticeable these factors are.
In addition, the more developed a person is, the more he does something “spiritual” at his work. And this tires him so much that it is unlikely that he will again want “spiritual” things as pleasure and relaxation. “There aren’t enough adventures... It’s all talk and talk...”- the Strugatskys said in Monday.
But “body adventures” appeal to everyone, not just knowledge workers. This means that for more developed individuals, it is not the fact of receiving “adventures of the body” itself that is important, but the sophistication and details of this “adventure”.
In addition, the less developed a person is, the more likely it is that he will prefer dull, but easy pleasure instead of intense activity with dubious excitement.
And in the end it turns out that:
If you have too much free time,
then you can receive You will enjoy life more if you engage in any long-term, intellectually or spiritually intense activity. For example, creating computer slide shows about the life of your family. Or, for example, painting/photography. But this long-term creative entertainment should be diluted with short emotional entertainment and release;
And if you don't have enough free time,
then you have more short but violent emotional “shocks” are suitable. It doesn’t matter whether it’s rough sex, football, or downhill skiing – whatever you like best. Moreover, it is precisely when there is a lack of time that alternating different types of such entertainment is very important.
Such a life will be much “tastier” and will create a feeling of being full of emotions and “adventures” of different types.
So, the main factors that determine and limit a person’s hedonistic lifestyle are the availability of free time and the level of its development. And you should choose pleasures for yourself based on these considerations.
The hedonistic approach to life is most succinctly formulated as follows:
THE SHORTEST PATH TO HAPPINESS IS RECEIVING PLEASURE FROM LIFE.
Or A LIFE FILLED WITH PLEASURES IS A HAPPY LIFE.
And further: ANY BUSINESS CARRIED TO EXCESS -THIS IS BAD. It doesn't matter what it is - work, sleep, food, sex or anything else.
According to Wikipedia, hedonism is the doctrine that a person should strive, above all, to obtain pleasure from everything. what surrounds him. It is believed that the founder of hedonism was Aristippus, an ancient Greek philosopher who lived in 435-355. BC. He argued that the human soul can be in two states: pleasure and pain. A happy person, according to Aristippus, is one who manages to have pleasure as often as possible. Moreover, this pleasure, first of all, must be physical and tangible. For example, a person gets pleasure from delicious food and delicious drinks, from intimate intimacy with a partner, from comfortable clothes, a hot bath, etc.
Aristippus placed mental pleasure (from a beautiful landscape, listening to music, watching a play, etc.) in a secondary place, although he recognized its importance.
The doctrine of hedonism was further developed in the works of other philosophers, in particular Epicurus. According to Epicurus, the highest happiness and pleasure in life can be obtained by getting rid of pain and suffering. But pain and suffering are often the natural consequence of excess and lack of healthy moderation. For example, if you eat too much, you shouldn't be surprised by digestive problems. Or if a person leads a too idle lifestyle, protecting himself from the slightest stress, as a result he may have problems with the heart and joints. Therefore, Epicurus called for reasonable moderation in everything.
The English philosopher and sociologist W. Bentan, who lived in the 18th–19th centuries, called such views of Epicurus hedonic prudence.
Is hedonism good or bad?
Is it hard to be a hedonist? It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question. On the one hand, a hedonist often behaves like an egoist, caring primarily about his own conveniences and advantages. On the other hand, to some extent, selfishness is inherent in the vast majority of people. After all, there are relatively few selfless devotees who are absolutely concerned with matters of their own convenience and benefit.
After all, what's wrong if a person strives to enjoy life? It is only important that this desire does not become too strong, does not turn into an obsession, causing one to forget about honor, decency, and the interests of other people. That is, in the case of hedonism, one must also try to adhere to a certain “golden mean”. You must always remain human, listen to other people and not “go over your head.”
Now almost every member of the human race wants three things:
- pleasure;
- eternal youth (health);
- happiness.
Moreover, pleasure and happiness in most cases merge into one phenomenon. People believe that, having achieved pleasure, they will reach the highest point of human existence - happiness.
What is hedonism
Hedonism is a value system that sees pleasure as the highest goal of human existence. For a hedonist, pleasure and happiness are synonymous. Moreover, it doesn’t matter at all what a person gets the most pleasure from: sensual (sexual, gastronomic) or intellectual-spiritual (reading books, watching films) pleasures. Intellectual efforts and sensual pleasures are put on a par when the former do not pursue the goal of learning, but are performed solely for the sake of pleasure. In other words, we can say that hedonism is, among other things, also an activity not burdened by a goal or any external or internal results. For example, a person watches movies and reads books just for entertainment or to improve self-esteem.
Hedonism is deeply rooted in human nature
Probably the most widely known psychologist of the 20th century, S. Freud, based his teaching (psychoanalysis) on the principle of hedonism (pleasure). According to the Austrian doctor, man is a natural hedonist. In infancy, his needs are satisfied directly and quickly: thirst, hunger, the need for maternal care. When a person grows up, society makes demands on him and insists that he control, restrain his desire for pleasure and satisfy his needs at the appropriate time. In psychoanalytic language, society wants the “reality principle” to be subordinated to the “pleasure principle.”
Thus, society, in a sense, controls a person through the “token method”: learn, work, enjoy. At the same time, it is clear that life cannot consist of one continuous pleasure, because this form of existence, although it is possible for some (for example, children of very rich parents), leads to moral decay and, ultimately, to social degradation.
Alcoholics and drug addicts as victims of a thoughtless pursuit of pleasure
There is one very famous experiment: an electrode was connected to the pleasure center in the brain of a rat, and the wire coming from it was attached to a pedal and made so that every time the rat pressed the pedal, an electrical discharge stimulated the pleasure center. After some time, the rat refused water and food and just pressed the pedal, constantly enjoying, drowning in a sweet languor, but the pleasure gradually killed it. That is why hedonism is a value system that needs a moral limiter.
This may sound cruel and cynical, but alcoholics and drug addicts are the same “rats” who have forgotten the world for the sake of pleasure. Alcoholic for the sake of a bottle. A drug addict for the sake of a fix. The trick to addictions is that they give you a quick feeling of happiness. But in general, in life, a moment of happiness should be earned. For example, a person works and works, and when the work is finished, he experiences a sudden (maybe expected) “prick” of happiness. But after a while you have to work again. Who will agree to this?
Stimulants give a boundless feeling of happiness almost without effort compared to real work, in fact embodying the basic postulate of human existence, on which the ethics of hedonism insists in its vulgar expression: you need to live in such a way that being brings as much pleasure as possible. And whenever possible, pleasure should be as intense as possible.
Food and sex as traps for connoisseurs of sensual pleasures
But it’s not only those who like to experiment with their consciousness that are at risk. Gluttons and sensualists should not relax either. True, the former lose their human appearance and destroy only themselves, but the latter may well harm others.
Film "Basic Instinct". The Case of Catherine Tramell
There won't be a detailed description of the film's plot here because that's beyond the scope of the film, but it must be said that Catherine Tramell is a classic case of a hedonist who has crossed the boundaries of good and evil. Why did she do this? Because she became bored with ordinary sex, and she turned to sex involving murder for the thrill. If pleasure does not pursue any moral purpose, then it quickly becomes boring. A person moves from one pleasure to another, without finding peace anywhere (a classic description of such a state is given by S. Kierkegaard in his book “Pleasure and Duty”). Then he also accidentally, without noticing, leaves behind all moral social institutions. And if the measure of boredom has exceeded all possible limits, then the hedonist will not stop even before murder - all just to somehow entertain himself. By the way, the Roman Emperor Nero was also such a person. However, the above does not mean that pleasure itself or the desire for it is criminal. Pleasure itself cannot be morally charged in any way. Hedonism is a crime, but only when pleasure is valuable in itself for a person and he absolutely does not care from what source he draws it.
Forms of moral restrictions on desires
- The golden rule of morality. Pleasure is the result, and the driving force is human desires. Therefore, ideally, all a person’s aspirations should be consistent with the golden rule of morality, which sounds (in its most general form) like this: “Do to people as you want them to do to you.”
- Creation. It contains passion, swiftness of impulses, and freedom. When a person creates, he climbs the Everest of pleasure, and this is pleasure of the highest standard. It combines both spiritual and sensual pleasures. It contains both relaxation and work. And at the same time, it requires the highest concentration and dedication from the creator.
Enjoyment and meaning in life
Armed with the above, it is not difficult to understand that the motto “the meaning of life is hedonism” can only exist if pleasure is spiritualized and subject to certain moral restrictions. Pleasures themselves cannot be the basis of life or human happiness, because they always bring along with them boredom, and this cannot be avoided.
Another thing is when a person finds pleasure in work or self-sacrifice, then both he and society benefit. In addition, any activity, even the most insignificant, that does not cause harm to others and leads to the harmonization of the inner world, can become a source of meaning in life for a person. With rare exceptions, the sages believed so (for example, A. Schopenhauer and Epicurus). For them, hedonism in philosophy is, first of all, not the intensity of pleasure, but the absence of suffering.
There were, of course, those who insisted on pleasure in all its varied forms (for example, the thinkers of the Renaissance). But now, anyway, most people have literally gone crazy because of the worship of pleasure. Modern man desperately craves pleasure, harmony of internal and external life and therefore buys and buys different things, hoping that they will replace his happiness. And in a society of total consumption of everything and everyone, the definition that hedonism in philosophy is mainly the absence of suffering, and not a constant muddy stream of dubious sensual pleasures, will come in handy.
