Is "feeling good" the ultimate goal of any given human?

[Lawand]

At first, I would like to thank you all for participating in the discussion.

@curiosityandthecat
(I didn't really get it) are you with or against Hedonism? and if against, what are other options, I mean what could be the ultimate goal other than self interests?

@Will
I believe that we choose to procreate ultimately because it feels good, perhaps so that we see our children around us, or because to acknowledge that our species survived, etc.
but in the end we choose that because it felt good, meaning that subgoals differ whereas the ultimate goal is the same.

@SektionTen
Again, our actions towards those we are fond of only exists because it feels good to see them happy and safe etc., or (pretty much the same) because it feels bad not to (the very reason why we help people we are attached to).

@Sophus
Ultimately we seek a good feeling, no matter what we call it (satisfaction or happiness).

@ProRealism
I agree, we probably should define words such as selflessness and selfishness.

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@everyone
Excuse me for repeating the words "feel good" and "feel bad", but only to emphasize that I am talking about the same thing
and another thing, my opinions are not necessarily true, so don't hesitate to tell me if you think am wrong.

[Heretical Rants]

Yes, I enjoy helping people

It still counts as helping someone if you laugh about it later, right?

[Sophus]

@Sophus
Ultimately we seek a good feeling, no matter what we call it (satisfaction or happiness).

This is note true at all. I value knowledge well over any feeling. Furthermore there is a great distinction between happiness and satisfaction.

[Heretical Rants]

I value knowledge well over any feeling.

...thus your user name?

[jcm]

@Sophus
Ultimately we seek a good feeling, no matter what we call it (satisfaction or happiness).

This is note true at all. I value knowledge well over any feeling. Furthermore there is a great distinction between happiness and satisfaction.

I think happiness and satisfaction go hand in hand. I don't think you can feel one with out the other.

[Sophus]

I think happiness and satisfaction go hand in hand. I don't think you can feel one with out the other.

You have never felt content without feeling joyful?

...thus your user name?

Ha ha. Actually hence my real name. I've never met anyone else in the States who share it but I have come across a few historical figures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophus_Lie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophus_Bugge

[jcm]

You have never felt content without feeling joyful?

I was looking at it the other way. i don't think you are really happy unless you are satisfied. i see your point.

[Sophus]

I was looking at it the other way. i don't think you are really happy unless you are satisfied. i see your point.

Ah, I see. Communication error on my part. In any case I agree that satisfaction is necessary for happiness but not vice versa.

[Phillysoul11]

It seems to me that if we eliminate the possibility of altruism we trap ourselves into a pretty deterministic lifestyle. Say for example a secret service officer charged with the duty of protecting the president sees a bullet headed straight for the president. Lets just say in this hypothetical that this man believes in no afterlife, and he currently has a perfectly happy life. Now lets say as he sees the bullet coming he weighs his two options. On the one hand he sees himself jumping in front and taking the hit and losing his life and on the other he sees himself living a life filled with joy, happiness, satisfaction ect. Now if we claim that he must do the thing which brings happiness it seems to me that he would have to stand still while the president is shot down, and if he must do this how can he then be reprehended for it? if he had no other choice than it seems to me he cannot be held responsible for not doing his job. In fact it seems to me that freewill for the most part is obsolete if we eliminate the possibility of altruism. Now this wasn't even supposed to be a discussion on altruism but I seem to have made it so, and for that I apologize."Feeling good" is a pretty broad and abstract way of posing the question. If by ultimate goal you are meaning to say that we are forced to act according to what makes us satisfied I would disagree...

Thus speaketh the hedonist.

[PipeBox]

A person always does what they want.  Happiness, contentedness, satisfaction and so on might be reduced to semantics.  Obviously a person will not only be presented with desirable choices for the duration of their life, and if only having compete freedom of choice to build a world centered on your joy counts as achieving happiness, then no, we cannot always be happy, and it cannot realistically be a goal.  Personally, I know the world is deterministic (on every level where it is not indeterministic, which is limited to electron probability clouds and the like, and even these have rules; constraints which allow you to dictate what can happen and what cannot, leaving some level of determinism), I know there is no true altruism, and, this is the important thing, I know philosophy does not always offer beneficial ways of thinking.  Suppose I gave you an air-tight argument that you are not who you were when you started reading my post.  Even if it's the truth, does it benefit you to live like that?  No one ever said all thought had practical application, so if we're not careful, we might get ourselves killed on the next zebra crossing.  As soon as I'm done with this post, I'm going continue living like there is altruism, and as though my actions are not deterministic but wholly of my incorruptable, external volition, because that is most beneficial to me (eh, does that mean I'm selfish for discarding my own philosophy for my personal benefit?  

[Phillysoul11]

It seems like this picking and choosing of which answers in life we accept resembles the man who doesn't believe in god and yet calls himself a christian in order to live life free from "religious persecution". I would like to think that I follow the truth wherever it leads but I know I have avoided unlikable answers before, and its come back to haunt me. Hypocritical living is dangerous, I would criticize the man who rejects living life in line with reality in order to live blissfully (like the christian atheist earlier). I'm not saying that you are living a hypocritical life or anything, i'm just throwing ideas out there, let me know if I'm making any sense.

From what I've heard It seems to me that altruism has already been covered here at the HAF, i'll do some forum searching but I don't want to beat a dead horse. Thanks for your response pipebox, you have an interesting philosophy on life ;]