Paradox of hedonism

Sun Signs in Characters from Candor The signs of the Zodiac are known by most people, or at least their own sun sign. While it is quite a complex and imprecise system, astrology can be astonishingly accurate when all the counterparts are put together. The signs can reveal much about one's character. What if you do not know the day of birth for someone? Only speculation can tell. The protagonist of Candor, Oscar Banks, has many traits, but mostly show those of an Aquarius-Pisces cusp. Cusp…

John Stuart Mill’s theory of higher and lower pleasures can be a tricky one. In fact, Mill defines happiness as the absence of pain, and unhappiness as the consequence of pain and the absence of pleasure. In other words, in his view, happiness is directly, related to pleasure. However, Mill points out the fact that not all pleasures are the same. For instance, he claims that intellectual pleasures are with no doubt safer than physical pleasures. As humans, we tend to chase the pleasures of…

Greatest-happiness Principle, and how he tries to dinguses himself from traditional Hedonism views, and raise the question if virtue for its own sake, produces…

In utilitarianism, the line between pragmatism and morality is nonexistent as it asks individuals to consider themselves a part of a whole so they can act solely to benefit the larger unit. Essentially, Bentham's model determines whether an action is right or wrong based on the net amount of pleasure or pain it causes the involved parties. Furthermore, he specifies the various qualities that determine the value of the subsequent pleasure or pain, breaking them into seven categories that range…

“According to the normal view, happiness is the summum bonum towards which we’re naturally impelled by virtue - which in their definition means following one’s natural impulses” (72). Pursuing happiness is thought of as a self-centrical idea in the outside world. Once an individual attains happiness, they do not feel obligated to help the people around them, because they would rather continue to further their pleasure. Utopia, an imaginary perfect society created by Thomas More, is far different…

religion only instills fear and pain obstructing them of happiness. In broad sense, Epicurus was a hedonist. He believed that the pleasure is the highest good. But Epicurean hedonism was a little different than just vulgar hedonism. While vulgar hedonism sought excess of pleasure like fine wine, sex, and luxury whereas Epicurean hedonism is about having pleasure in the present while planning for the future. For instance, getting drunk will give pleasure tonight but will feel awful tomorrow and…

In the philosophical dialogue, I represented Epicurus and his views on “what traits, if any, do all human beings share?”. Epicurus would answer this question by stating that all humans are self-centered, seeking to secure pleasures and avoid pain. In other words, everything that one does is simply for the sake of gaining pleasure. To Epicurus, pleasure is the only intrinsic good and it is the foundation for all human choices and all evaluation of things as good and bad. In this context, pleasure…

Utilitarianism is an ends-based method of ethical analysis. Rather than attempting to apply a code of moral behavior to the public, this approach focuses on the cost-benefit analysis (Blume and Heineman, 2007) of a policy and underscores its usefulness based on the overall outcome in society. In the case of medical conflicts of interests, the utility of the new policy centers on the creation of consumers that are more informed and the possibility for its largely positive outcome. The primary…

Singer talks about his beliefs and theories on abortion and infanticide. There are many opinions and perspectives on these topics but within utilitarianism is a kind of consequentialism, which states that the best action is the one that maximizes utility and its actions are solely judged by its consequences. Knowing the meaning, Singer makes sense in a way that a baby cannot maximize utility and a baby doesn’t even know or make decisions. Although this may be correct, to me, its not morally…

Our class discussions and the Zelenski chapter on Happiness distinguish between Eudaimonia and hedonia as potentially different motivations, routes, or forms of well-being. This week, choose one small activity that seems eudaimonic (mostly about being your best self) and another that seems more hedonic (mostly about pleasure). Do them both. For the written portion of the assignment, write a short essay (250-300 words) that: briefly describes the activities, and why/how you identified them as…