Cyrenaics

Concern for the environment is an ongoing theme marked with contention over whether or not humans have an ethical or moral obligation to take pro-environmental actions. Theorists, such as Aristippus and his Cyrenaic school argue that the highest good is self-pleasure, and lacking future concern they argue that individuals should take actions to ensure pleasure in the short term. According to the Cyrenaics, there is not an ethical or moral obligation to engage in pro-environmental actions. However, Jeremy Bentham disagrees, arguing that an ethical action is one which promotes the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Despite the Cyrenaic view, people do have a moral and ethical obligation to take pro-environmental actions. This…

Aristippus (c. 430-350 B.C.E) from the town of Cyrene, is considered the creator of Cyrenaic hedonism. First off, hedonism is the philosophic though that pleasure is equal to good and pain is equal to evil. Therefore, Cyrenaic hedonism is the pursuit of intense and immediate pleasure with no qualitative distinctions among pleasures. Aristippus believed pleasure was the main motive for living and that pleasure is always good. This is just simply not true. Yes, we as human beings do seek pleasure…

his movement. (The life of Epicurus: Diogenes Laertius) [Write about how he refused to cite sources and the people who slandered him; art of happiness laertius] Despite being directly taught Democritus’ theory of atomism through his teacher Nausiphanes, or the slight similarities between Epicurean and Cyrenaic pleasure, he ultimately rejected having been influenced by any authors. Epicurus’ theory of atomism evidently derives from Democritus’ theory. Unlike Democritus, who accepted the…

This prevents a person from the ability to attain the good, because they are living in vice. I think that Cyrenaic hedonism explains why obese individuals struggle with losing weight, but Aristotle’s interpretation of obesity, or gluttony, is accurate. Both starvation and obesity result in health issues that ultimately can result in death, which can cut a person’s life short, constricting time to reach…

Megaric, the Cynic, and the Cyrenaic groups. Euclid (fl. 410 B.C.) [Megara]. The Megarics led by Euclid (not to be confused with the Geomster of a century later) held that Reality is one and is identical with the Good. It was the custom of this group to argue in the defence of their position by refuting the opposite. Antisthenes (fl.406 B.C.) [Athens]. The Cynics led by Antisthenes emphasised the disciplining of human needs and insisted upon severer aspects of living. Ethics, they…

of the earliest practices of Hedonism was identified as the philosophy of the Cyrenaics, which was founded by Aristippus of Cyrene (one of Socrates’s apostle) in 4th Century B.C (Weijers). According to them, pleasure was the only good thing in the world; however, they emphasized the supremacy of physical pleasure over mental or intellectual pleasure. They considered physical pleasures to be more “intense and preferable” ("Hedonism"). By definition, Hedonism, which derives from the Greek word…

purposes. One can roughly distinguish the classic and Hellenistic periods into four different but closely connected parts. The first part concerns Socrates and his arguments with the Sophists (second half of the fifth century BC); the second part covers the post-Socratian formation of important philosophical schools deeply influenced by Socratic thought for example Antisthenes’ school of the Cynics, Aristippus’ school of the Cyrenaics, and Plato’s Academy which is the most influential ancient…

Lucullus believes that the senses are clear and certain, claiming that “there is a great deal of truth in the senses, providing they are healthy and properly functioning and all obstacles and impediments are removed” (p.13, sec.19). In this way, he believes that our senses provides us with the truth and they are powerful because they allow us to apprehend the things that happened around us. Also, he gives examples of how painters and musicians can perceive details normal people would not notice,…

also has been divided according to its social outlook. Individualistic hedonism is interested only in our personal welfare. Represented by Aristippus and Epicurus, it neglects the welfare and advancement of society. On the other hand, universalistic hedonism believes that happiness has a social connotation and that we must expand the pleasure principle so that a maximum number of people can enjoy the goods of life. In modern times this doctrine has been championed by such thinkers as Locke,…