Introduction to Hedonism
Hedonism, a philosophical concept about good life, seems attractive despite objections and Mill’s intellectual defense of it. In fact, true to its literal meanings, hedonism is generally taken as a life of pleasure and happiness, and more of carnal pleasures than of any other type of pleasure (Shafer-Landau 24). However, pleasures does not mean only one sort of pleasures such as some enjoy sensual life, and consider fulfillment of carnal desires, or desires of their bodies as the only source of happiness. In the same way, some people like to enjoy games or playing, or hunting, or any such enjoyments. Hedonism actually means to have a good life that “is full of sustained enjoyment, containing only minimal sadness and misery” (Shafer-Landau 25).
Derivation of Hedonism
Hedonism is a Greek word derived from hedone that means “pleasure” as Russ Shafer-Landau has defined it, saying that hedonists think that life is “good to the extent that it is filled with pleasure and is free of pain” (24). This first principal seems to be same that he has defined earlier. He means that there is a pleasure in life that can be derived from two things. The first are things which are instrumental goods that can bring good things to body of the person. Thus, these things or objects have a value, or they are valuable in this way. The others are intrinsically valuable that have “goodness self-contained” and are worth pursuing. Giving examples, he says that chocolate is an instrumental good and book reading act or book in itself is intrinsically valuable (23). Arguing his case further, he refers to Epicurus to define it distinctly as a philosophical concept, saying although for him pleasure was the only thing to be pursued, Epicurus means to find “inner peace” and not pleasure of physical desires (25). He says that Epicurus has given two sources to achieve this inner peace that are “moderation” in physical desires and “intellectual clarity” about important things which have intrinsic value (25). However, there are many interesting points of objection raised by the critics.
Objections Against Hedonism
There are three major objections against hedonism. Shafer-Landau has given full details of all three major arguments to state that hedonism, indeed, has some faults and weaker grounds. The very first argument is “the paradox of hedonism” that he says is in that a person tries hard to get something but then such persons who try hard to find happiness always fail (32). For example, he logically says that if happiness is the only thing to be single-mindedly pursued, it is not rational, as happiness cannot directly make our life better than before. In other words, even if happiness is supposed to make life good, it is irrational (33). The second objection is of evil pleasure that is the argument of evil pleasures. Shafer-Landau has clarified that some people enjoy doing evil deeds and become happy but this is not happiness that makes life good or better than before. It is false hedonism (34). He means that only that act can make life happy that is also morally equivalent. It means to be equally beneficial for all others (34). The third argument is of “The Two Words” that he has attributed to W. D. Ross. He clarifies this saying there could be two worlds; one all virtuous and other all bad, and both are equally good for the respective people which does not mean that they are good for their lives. He states that Ross’s objection is good, as it points out that hedonism is false when it says that “any two situations containing identical amounts of happiness and unhappiness are equally good” (35). This is quite false hedonism, and not hedonism at all, as defined by Epicurus and others. Despite having Bentham given a good philosophy of utilitarianism to defend that the happiness of a greater number of people is the ultimate aim, Mill has done a good job of defending hedonism.
Mill on Hedonism
Mill’s point about hedonism is highly interesting and balanced. Following Epicurus, Mills is perhaps the only philosopher who has defended hedonism despite claims of the critics of J. S. Mill that it is a “doctrine of swine” (26). It means that only swine feel carnal pleasure and hence all human beings seek carnal pleasure. However, Mill has argued that pleasure has a different quality for each person. However, the best pleasures are those which take a lot of hard work. He calls it the hard work of mind or “intellectual” work that gives real pleasure. However, he has given types that mean the “intellectual and artistic pleasures” are at the top of his list of different types of pleasures, and “physical pleasures” or carnal pleasures are at the bottom (26). All other pleasures are in-between these two. Shafer-Landau has given a good point about Mill that he has thought that people enjoying both types of works always “prefer the intellectual pleasures” (26). However, it could be otherwise, as some people do not always like to find or pursue intellectual pursuits. Despite this, Mill’s defense of hedonism is highly solid.
Impact of Hedonism
Despite having some very serious objections and very good defense given in detail by J. S. Mill, hedonism philosophical ideas have very positive impacts on people. In fact, it is the good life and pursuit of a good life for pleasure that gives it an edge over other such ideas explained earlier or later. Although serious argumentative objections such as of paradox, evils, and of “Two Worlds” were raised during this time, Mill has intellectually defended it after Epicurus. Hedonism is still a very attractive idea due to its having various models of happiness and good life, pursuit of the well-being of an individual, the nature of misery as an obstacle to happiness, and limitations on a happy life (26-27). Therefore, hedonism seems to have achieved a good defender in the shape of Mill who has given a new direction to this philosophical idea by listing types of different pleasures, taking the intellectual one at the top and the physical one at the bottom.
Works Cited
- Shafer-Landau, Russ. The Fundamentals of Ethics. 3ed. New York: Oxford University Press. 2015.
Relevant Questions about Hedonism: Basic Tenants, Criticism, and Mill’s Defense
- What are the basic tenets of hedonism, and how does it define the pursuit of pleasure as the ultimate goal in life?
- What are some common criticisms of hedonism, particularly regarding its oversimplification of human well-being and its potential for leading to harmful behaviors?
- How does John Stuart Mill defend a version of hedonism in his utilitarian philosophy, emphasizing the distinction between higher and lower pleasures? How does this attempt to address some of the criticisms leveled against traditional hedonism?
