Hedonism

Hedonism ( from Ancient Greek ἡδονή, Hedone, " joy, pleasure, desire, pleasure, lust "; Word formation with the suffix - ism) denotes usually a philosophical or ethical flow whose basic thesis is that only desire and pleasure and the avoidance of pain or suffering intrinsically valuable or generally let ( s). In contrast to the philosophical understanding of use is often referred to with the term hedonism a oriented only to momentary pleasures selfish attitude in everyday language. In this sense, the term is often used pejoratively hedonism and interpreted as a sign of decadence. The term " psychological hedonism " is actually understood that humans generally only strives for pleasure or joy.

Philosophical hedonism

Antiquity

Aristippus of Cyrene, who lived about 355 BC to 435 BC and was a contemporary of Socrates and founder of the Cyrenaic school, regarded as the founder of hedonism. Aristippus distinguishes three states of the human soul, which can be understood under the allegory of marine movements all: the pain is the storm of the soul, the desire gentle wave motion and in between lies the perfect peace of mind ataraxia. The desire is expressly understood as "transitional Lust", namely as a transition state of a unnatural state to a natural state. However, there is no difference between various lusts. This means that every pleasure regardless of its nature has the same quality. In this respect, the desire is the natural state of man, is the way to happiness by Aristippus to maximize the pleasure, but to avoid the pain. He even claims that physical pleasure is the real meaning of life. However, it is the Kyrenaikern less a draft successful life ( eudaimonia ), but rather a concept of succeed ends because all of desire particular moment and -. Solely on this conveys - the quantitative and resultative assessment of a successful life from its end

Other important classical proponents of philosophical hedonism were Theodoros and Hegesias.

Epicurus connects to the terminology of Aristippus and describes the pleasure principle as a successful life. The crucial step that is different from the previous hedonist Epicurus is that he sees the ataraxia as pleasure, namely as the highest pleasure. In this respect, lust means freedom from pain, is ataraxia - the state of complete freedom from pain / anxiety - to be regarded as the highest pleasure. It thus differs ( katastematische lust ) between the transition Lust ( dynamic Lust) and the state 's content. The wake existence itself, insofar as it is free from pain, therefore can be experienced as highly pleasurable. Compared to this highest mean like other pleasures just a variation, which do not change both quantitatively and qualitatively at this lust and at best also draw any pain after themselves. In this respect, Epicurus also distinguishes between " rational " and " irrational " desires. While the fulfillment of " irrational " desires short term will lead to a desire growth in the sense of dynamic pleasure, but prefers the long term by pain. This category includes any feasts and orgiastic behavior in all respects. To a maintenance of katastematischen lust leads an almost ascetic, virtuous life in Epicurus. It is not possible for Epicurus to live pleasurably without living wisely you, beautiful and just. Compared to the " irrational " desires are "reasonable" desires - desires that correspond to our nature, accordingly, are pulling no damage by itself and within easy reach. A person with a moderate desire, which is directed only to the bare minimum, is permanently experience the supreme pleasure.

The " irrational " desires arise from the misperceptions of mind about what is natural and necessary. They derive from irrational beliefs and fears - such as the fear of death. Accordingly, Epicurus sees the main task of philosophy is to educate people about this very irrational beliefs and fears to him just to get rid of irrational needs. His natural philosophy is designed to bring the natural and necessary of human existence to light, and thus to counteract any irrational fears to revise them and thus to allow the person a permanent supreme pleasure.

Modern

In contrast to antiquity, in the considerations of morality always accompanied by considerations of the good life, takes place in the modern separation of these areas. Hedonism now functions as a pure theory of individual good (that is, a lustful and joyful life is a good and successful life ) or as a theory of value (that is, only pleasure / happiness is intrinsically valuable). The hedonism as a theory of the good life first take only a statement about what is a good life. What is the significance of a theory of the good life under reasonable decisions on actions to come, so that is not (yet) decided. Certain moral concepts that are often associated with hedonism ( d s ethical egoism, amorality and hedonistic utilitarianism ), should therefore be differentiated from hedonism. At least the hedonism as a theory of the good life suggests no particular moral theory, and can be linked also with deontological moral conceptions.

In the French Enlightenment of hedonism received an update by the book L'art de jouir by Julien Offray de La Mettrie. His students Donatien Alphonse François de Sade advocated a hedonistic theory of individual good, which he associated with the amorality.

However, only with Jeremy Bentham and his moral conception of hedonistic utilitarianism won the hedonism again in popularity. Bentham represents a quantitative hedonism, on which he builds utilitarianism. Quantitative Hedonism means that a life better runs, the more pleasure / enjoyment ( Engl: pleasure - hereafter translated as " joy " ) is experienced, this " extra" Joy from the duration of the expected joy and intensity to is calculated. However, for the action decision should further ado, find attention: how secure it is, that the joy can be achieved ( certainty ), the temporal distance to the expected pleasure ( propinquity / remoteness ), the probability that follows more joy and the probability ( fecundity ), that pain or suffering are to be expected after the joy ( purity ). This calculation is often referred to as hedonistic calculus. The crucial step for utilitarianism (and thus to a complete criterion for action decision) is finally, apply this hedonistic calculus interpersonally and to maximize the total utility of all of the action concerned. In support of the individual ethical hedonism ( pleasure is the only good individually ), as well as the Henry Sidgwick so-called universal hedonism ( i.e., the hedonistic utilitarianism ), Bentham leads to psychological hedonism called to:

"Nature has humanity under the rule of two sovereign lord - sorrow and joy - put. It is to show them what we should do, as well as to determine what we will do. Both the scale of right and wrong as well as the chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. "

To lead the psychological hedonism as a justification for the ethical, has been heavily criticized (especially this has been criticized John Stuart Mill, who has also represented the psychological and ethical hedonism ), since Hume's law is not complied with, that is inadmissible from being on the 'ought' would be closed. However, it can be argued that the derivation is not to be understood as a coherent argument, but only the being is considered as a strong indication of the ought.

Contemporary representative hedonistic positions are, for example, Michel Onfray, Torbjörn Tännsjö, Fred Feldman and Bernulf Kanitscheider. The international network Hedonist International often occurs with left political background in action, to emphasize the joy of action-oriented protest.