Happy Atheist Forum

General => Philosophy => Topic started by: Jimmy on June 20, 2016, 10:56:22 AM

Title: Hedonism
Post by: Jimmy on June 20, 2016, 10:56:22 AM
Hedonism has gotten such a bad wrap over the centuries because it was falsely associated with leading to a life that was self-destructive and destructive toward others. But consider some of its tenets, broadly,  and think about why its critics are mostly fear mongerers and why hedonism just makes sense.

1) Knowledge is based in the senses and experience. There is no such thing as divine relation, innate knowledge, and the supernatural.
2) Sense perception allows one to distinguish between the pleasurable and non-pleasurable, or painful.
3) What is pleasurable is good and what is painful is bad
4) A combination of mental and physical pleasures is a life that allows the individual to thrive, which leads to happiness.
5) A focus on one's happiness, while respecting the rights of others to pursue their happiness as long as it doesn't cause any one else harm, will results in a society that flourishes.

It sounds pretty sensible to me. What do you think?
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Recusant on June 20, 2016, 03:13:22 PM
No problem with hedonism in my opinion, but in the case of #3: It ain't necessarily so.  :blue smiley:
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: No one on June 20, 2016, 07:46:24 PM
Quote from: Recusant on June 20, 2016, 03:13:22 PM
No problem with hedonism in my opinion, but in the case of #3: It ain't necessarily so.  :blue smiley:

Agreed. I doubt childbirth tickles.  However, the end result is awesome!
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Siz on June 20, 2016, 07:49:42 PM

Quote from: The 9 Satanic StatementsNo1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
Works for me!

...Though I do have an issue with your own No.1)
Quote from: JimmyKnowledge is based in the senses and experience. There is no such thing as divine relation, innate knowledge, and the supernatural.
The senses are fallible and their data are often incomplete and prone to misinterpretation by the brain.

Still, an orgasm is an orgasm, right?!
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on June 20, 2016, 07:55:17 PM
Most people practice some level of hedonism, whether they admit it or not.
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: xSilverPhinx on June 21, 2016, 12:45:05 AM
What about drugs, such as meth or heroine? They are pleasurable, but are they good or allow an individual to thrive?
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Bad Penny II on June 21, 2016, 10:06:08 AM
When in doubt revert to the golden mean, balance is good.
The Grey Mean isn't, he runs over cyclists and feeds them to his rats.
If you have days where you suffer you'll appreciate your hedonistic days more.
You could lay around eating chocolate and getting fat, having your toenails painted because you can't see them, but if I see you I'll have to hit you with my stick.
I won't enjoy the hitting, well maybe a little bit, but I do it out of a sense of duty, space mustn't be wasted, the ten toed sloth is to be abhorred.
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Jimmy on June 21, 2016, 10:36:37 AM
I personally prefer a type of rational hedonism, where pleasure and pain is evaluated on one's long term interest. So while it may be pleasurable to do heroine, it is unlikely to harm one in the short term. It is the long term use of the drug that creates a self-destructive life and is against one's self-interest.  I have never tried it because of risks involved.

Some pain is worth enduring due to long term benefits. Someone gave childbirth as an example. Exercise is another example, where the benefits outweigh the discomforts.

These would fall under #4, mental pleasure leads to happiness. Making rational decisions is actually pretty pleasurable.  ;)
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Bad Penny II on June 21, 2016, 02:20:03 PM
Quote from: Jimmy on June 21, 2016, 10:36:37 AM
I personally prefer a type of rational hedonism, where pleasure and pain is evaluated on one's long term interest. So while it may be pleasurable to do heroine, it is unlikely to harm one in the short term. It is the long term use of the drug that creates a self-destructive life and is against one's self-interest.  I have never tried it because of risks involved.

Some pain is worth enduring due to long term benefits. Someone gave childbirth as an example. Exercise is another example, where the benefits outweigh the discomforts.

These would fall under #4, mental pleasure leads to happiness. Making rational decisions is actually pretty pleasurable.  ;)

So what else is there?
We'll dismiss the philosophies with gods in them, I'll apologise to today's deity later.
I give my sandwich to this sad leprous lump, attainment of virtue is what life is for.
But you're getting pleasure out of playing the virtuous sacraficer of sandwiches.
Knowledge, life if it is anything is about bringing light to the dark.
Sounds dull but you seem to be enjoying yourself.
The future, my children, Long-footed potoroos, carbon emissions
Life is now, when was the last time you gave a leper a sandwich?
Nice day, nice sandwich, high on a cliff blue water blue sky, fuck off leper, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,9.1,9.2
Damn, I was sure he'd be a 9.3, I owe you a falafel.
It was a lost limb wind resistance thing
Of course
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Jimmy on June 21, 2016, 10:30:15 PM
Quote from: Bad Penny II on June 21, 2016, 02:20:03 PM


So what else is there?
We'll dismiss the philosophies with gods in them, I'll apologise to today's deity later.
I give my sandwich to this sad leprous lump, attainment of virtue is what life is for.
But you're getting pleasure out of playing the virtuous sacraficer of sandwiches.
Knowledge, life if it is anything is about bringing light to the dark.
Sounds dull but you seem to be enjoying yourself.
The future, my children, Long-footed potoroos, carbon emissions
Life is now, when was the last time you gave a leper a sandwich?
Nice day, nice sandwich, high on a cliff blue water blue sky, fuck off leper, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,9.1,9.2
Damn, I was sure he'd be a 9.3, I owe you a falafel.
It was a lost limb wind resistance thing
Of course

Okay dude  8) *eats sandwich not designated for me*
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: xSilverPhinx on June 25, 2016, 02:50:13 PM
Quote from: Jimmy on June 21, 2016, 10:36:37 AM
I personally prefer a type of rational hedonism, where pleasure and pain is evaluated on one's long term interest. So while it may be pleasurable to do heroine, it is unlikely to harm one in the short term. It is the long term use of the drug that creates a self-destructive life and is against one's self-interest.  I have never tried it because of risks involved.

Some pain is worth enduring due to long term benefits. Someone gave childbirth as an example. Exercise is another example, where the benefits outweigh the discomforts.

These would fall under #4, mental pleasure leads to happiness. Making rational decisions is actually pretty pleasurable.  ;)

What if such rational decisions are based on faulty or absent knowledge? For instance, cigarettes. There was a lot of bad science in the beginning, with vested interests, and tobacco companies campaigned to get more people smoking based on faulty premises or inaccurate knowledge. 

I'm not saying that rational hedonism is bad, but rationality can be really limited in some cases.
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: merx on July 03, 2016, 07:27:43 AM
I personally prefer epicureanism.I think that the real pleasure consists of simple life.Simple life,where we can love herself and others.I think that real pleasure is without fear and suffering.The real pleasure is when we can rejoice of simple things like a sunshine,singing of birds  and pure nature.When we know how to hold our nature and ourselves then it`s bring to us pleasure in very long term. :)
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: existentialcrisis on December 08, 2016, 03:23:33 AM
Ironically many religious leaders are hedonistic.
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Arturo on December 08, 2016, 07:38:47 AM
I know this is an old ass thread but, it's making me think of me and many others I've known online; we don't trust our senses. Specifically the ones to do with perception, because we have hallucinations. And our mind has fixed beliefs that are entirely insane. For example, I used to believe that people I knew were hypnotizing me through facebook's newsfeed and ads with the goal of giving me unfulfilled erections and making me feel bad. And hallucinations are an entirely different thing. And scientists don't even know what schizophrenia is! But what we do know it is very easy for a mind to be ill. And in the case of schizophrenia, we don't even know we are insane most of the time.

So with all that in mind, how can you trust your senses are telling you the truth? How do you know you are not mentally ill? Maybe you don't think people are sending you coded messages or your balls are talking to you; but what if the sensation you are feeling is just a product of your body chemistry losing it's equilibrium and that the feelings you have are just a byproduct of you becoming sick?
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Asmodean on December 08, 2016, 07:45:25 AM
Quote from: Recusant on June 20, 2016, 03:13:22 PM
No problem with hedonism in my opinion, but in the case of #3: It ain't necessarily so.  :blue smiley:
This.

No problem with Hedonism whatsoever. That's not to say that I agree with the central tenets.

As for the number three thing, why even touch the concepts of good and bad? The understanding of them is highly subjective, so leave them well enough alone in defining your umbrellas, yes?
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Bad Penny II on December 08, 2016, 01:02:50 PM
Quote from: Apathy on December 08, 2016, 07:38:47 AM
I know this is an old ass thread but, it's making me think of me and many others I've known online; we don't trust our senses. Specifically the ones to do with perception, because we have hallucinations. And our mind has fixed beliefs that are entirely insane. For example, I used to believe that people I knew were hypnotizing me through facebook's newsfeed and ads with the goal of giving me unfulfilled erections and making me feel bad.

So you've realised it was unknown advertisers giving you unfulfilled erections for goals pecuniary?
Title: Re: Hedonism
Post by: Arturo on December 08, 2016, 07:03:33 PM
...that's not what I said?