...Hedonism and the desire-satisfaction theory Name Institution Introduction Hedonism and the desire-satisfaction theory of welfare are typically seen as archrivals in the contest over identifying what makes one’s life better. It is surprising, then, that the most plausible form of hedonism is desire satisfactionism. The hedonism theory focuses on pleasure/happiness while the desire-satisfaction theory elucidates the relevance of fulfilling our desires. Pleasure, in some points of view is the subjective satisfaction of desire. I will explain the similarities and the differences between the desire-satisfaction theory of value and hedonism. I will also discuss the most successful theory and defend my argument by explaining how the theory avoids the objections raised against it. Similarities between the desire-satisfaction theory of value and hedonism Both the desire satisfaction theory and the hedonism theory suggest that our subjective states are the major determinants of the measure of a good life. The subjective states in this case include happiness or pleasure and our desires. Our pleasures are determined by the desire satisfaction theory while happiness is achieved through the hedonism theory. Both theories are dependent on positive values which are the sole intrinsic causes of good life. Differences between the desire-satisfaction theory of value and hedonism The hedonism theory is a deeply important theory of the good. According to hedonism theory, happiness or pleasure is...
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...How does Nihilism affect Hedonism? Farid Guzman BKvt.3 Hedonism and Nihilism are two incredibly interesting philosophies, especially when studied in contrast to each other. Although by the simplest definitions they are opposites, they actually have a lot in common. In fact, it s entirely possible for one to occur as a result of the other. Both are very common in modern Western society, although for the most part extreme hedonists or nihilists are almost unheard of. Even thought we don’t normally pay attention to it, we all have Nihilistic and Hedonistic tendencies at various times throughout our lives. Nihilism is the belief that nothing we do, own or believe is of any value. It is the belief that we are worthless and that life has no purpose. It comes across as a very dark, empty way of life, yet we all embrace it in small ways. For example, someone may deem voting worthless, arguing that their political choices won’t affect anything. This, on a small scale, is Nihilism. It's a common assumption that without religious moral codes people will behave in a dishonest, violent and otherwise anti-social manner. Yet, the most pious and devout believers still lie, cheat, steal and kill; an open non-believer could do no worse. And the dishonest and anti-social behavior of believers exploiting religious morality are all the more malevolent because they do it under the cover of “righteousness”. The fact is that religion, and the morality it attempts to conclude, is actually...
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...Explain the difference between narrow and preference hedonism. Which is a more plausible theory of happiness? 1. Introduction (250) Happiness belongs to Hedonism. If one experience more happiness during life, his life will be better. The more happiness you experience, the better your life is. There are actually two schools of thought here, Narrow Hedonism and Preference Hedonism, each with its own definition of happiness. Narrow Hedonism deems happiness a homogeneous state of pleasure, while Preference Hedonism expands the definition to include any state of mind favored by the individual, including pain (yes, pain is happiness, for some). However, the two schools are united in their focus on mental states, which as you will see is a silly idea. Hedonism is a way of life, characterised by openness to pleasurable experience. There are many qualms about hedonism. It is rejected on moral grounds and said to be detrimental to long-term happiness. Several mechanisms for this 'paradox of hedonism' have been suggested and telling examples of pleasure seekers ending up in despair have been given. The relation between hedonism and happiness has been studied at two levels: that of the nation and the individual. At the national level average happiness is correlated with moral acceptance of pleasure and with active leisure. At the individual level it is similarly linked with hedonistic attitudes and also correlated with hedonistic behaviours such as frequent sex and use of stimulants...
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...well as other countries’ cultures. As Spurlock (2004) said in the film “what would happen if I ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days straight? Would I suddenly be on the fast track to becoming an obese American? Would it be unreasonably dangerous?” For this paper, I am going to discuss about the concerns of fast food, namely McDonalds by using three ethical theories: Hedonism, the Desire Theory, and Ethical Egoism. Hedonism: The Pleasure of the Super Size As Rabinowicz and Ronnow-Rasmussen (2005) explains, “an object is thought to be intrinsically valuable … depends on … final value if it is valuable ‘as an end’, ‘for its own sake’, rather than for the sake of something else” (p. 115). The kind of pleasure hedonists claim is always intrinsically valuable is health. If people know that they are healthy and are free of sickness or pain, they are living a good life, and a good life is a happy life. Basically, health contributes to happiness and the happier the person is, the better his/her life is going to be. According to Veenhoven (2003), “There is a longstanding discussion about the merits of this hedonism. Some praise it as natural and healthy” (p. 437). So, if one is not healthy or is feeling sick, then he/she is not happy; it is what hedonists say that misery takes away a good life. In the film, going into the seventh day of eating only McDonalds, Spurlock (2004) says, “I’ve started to have – not chest pains … I got pressure on my chest. I figure that’s probably...
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...is the elation of satisfaction one feels as a result of physical pleasure. Hedonists claim attitudinal pleasure is intrinsically valuable. They make this distinction because physical pleasure in and of itself can still lead to a substandard, unsatisfying existence if it does not also give more overarching contentment. The Ethical Life: p.32 1. By "the right to be unhappy", the savage is referring to the right to earn one's happiness. The savage is putting happiness on a spectrum. If there is no unhappiness to use as a reference point, there can be no true happiness. If this man believes this, then he is claiming to need physical unhappiness to provide attitudinal pleasure. This is a prescribed right in every ethical belief, including Hedonism. 2. I believe Mill would claim that the savage is simply confusing physical and attitudinal pleasure. If the 'agreeable sensations' don't 'mean anything', then they are not the savage's source of attitudinal happiness. Perhaps Mill would conclude that in the savage's reality, physical UNhappiness is a requirement for attitudinal pleasure. The Ethical Life: p.36 1. I, personally, would not plug into an experience machine unless everyone else in the world were plugging in to one. That would leave no true reality to cling to. I believe that some of the most pure satisfaction comes from helping other people. If I was aware that I was in an experience machine, then I would know that I am not truly helping anybody. I do not think I would have...
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...Enjoy! Hedonic Consumption and Compliance with Assertive Messages ANN KRONROD AMIR GRINSTEIN LUC WATHIEU This paper examines the persuasiveness of assertive language (as in Nike’s slogan “Just do it”) as compared to nonassertive language (as in Microsoft’s slogan “Where do you want to go today?”). Previous research implies that assertive language should reduce consumer compliance. Two experiments show that assertiveness is more effective in communications involving hedonic products, as well as hedonically advertised utilitarian products. This prediction builds on sociolinguistic research addressing relationships between mood, communication expectations, and compliance to requests. A third experiment reaffirms the role of linguistic expectations by showing that an unknown product advertised using assertive language is more likely to be perceived as hedonic. C onsumers are often exposed to forceful messages and imperative slogans such as Nike’s “Just do it,” Sprite’s “Obey your thirst,” or U.S. Airways’ “Fly with US.” The frequent use of assertively phrased messages is puzzling, given the mounting research in consumer behavior (e.g., Dillard and Shen 2005; Fitzsimons and Lehman 2004; Lord 1994), communications (e.g., Kellerman and Shea 1996; Quick and Considine 2008; Quick and Stephenson 2007; Wilson and Kunkel 2000), and sociolinguistics (e.g., Levine and Boster 2001; Sanders and Fitch 2001), which suggests that these messages should lower consumer readiness to comply. To...
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...Memorandum TO: Professor Erika Oquinn FROM: Alla Hajeh DATE: 3/17/2013 SUBJECT: Heart Transplant After a very thorough and intensive process I have decided to give the heart to Lisa. This was a very tough decision to make and although every one of these people deserve this heart I have found it to be in the best interest of everyone that Lisa gets the heart. The utilitarianism theory and hedonistic utilitarianism have greatly affected my thinking and have helped me come to this conclusion. The utilitarianism theory is based upon that the greatest good for the greatest number should be the main consideration in making a choice. Also, the second theory goes hand in hand where there is more pleasure than pain when more people benefit from the greatest good for the greatest number (Weijers, 2011). So in that pleasure is more important and needs to be valued where pain shouldn’t. Below I will describe more thoroughly the process I went through and the factors I determined in concluding my decision. * Jerry: This candidate is 55 years old and although with this heart his chance of survival is another 10-15 years old there are many people his age that die of heart attacks, strokes, etc. The other candidates are younger and haven’t experienced the many wonders of life this man probably has like the simple things, falling in love, getting married, having children, etc. His children are at an older age where they understand life and death. His kids can soon all get...
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...consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable. Legally the company has to obey the law by providing solid health and safety management system The company compliance statement Compliance Statement An employee, who sustains injury whilst on duty must, must immediately report to his supervisor. An accident report from must be completed by the supervisor, employee and (if any) witness. Payments will not be processed unless an accident report form is completed and submitted to the human resources department Hedonism is a school of thought that argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good.[1] In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximise net pleasure (pleasure minus pain). Ethical hedonism is the idea that all people have the right to do everything in their power to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure possible to them. It is also the idea that every person's pleasure should far surpass their amount of pain. Ethical hedonism is said to have been started by a student of Socrates,Aristippus of Cyrene. He held the idea that pleasure is the highest...
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...Happiness belongs to Hedonism. If one experience more happiness during life, his life will be better. The more happiness you experience, the better your life is. There are actually two schools of thought here, Narrow Hedonism and Preference Hedonism, each with its own definition of happiness. Narrow Hedonism deems happiness a homogeneous state of pleasure, while Preference Hedonism expands the definition to include any state of mind favored by the individual, including pain (yes, pain is happiness, for some). However, the two schools are united in their focus on mental states, which as you will see is a silly idea. Hedonism is a way of life, characterised by openness to pleasurable experience. There are many qualms about hedonism. It is rejected on moral grounds and said to be detrimental to long-term happiness. Several mechanisms for this 'paradox of hedonism' have been suggested and telling examples of pleasure seekers ending up in despair have been given. The relation between hedonism and happiness has been studied at two levels: that of the nation and the individual. At the national level average happiness is correlated with moral acceptance of pleasure and with active leisure. At the individual level it is similarly linked with hedonistic attitudes and also correlated with hedonistic behaviours such as frequent sex and use of stimulants. In this essay, it will firstly discuss what is hedonism, including the two catories Narrow hedonism and Preference hedonism. Following this...
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...In Chapter 1 of the text, Kupperman (2006) makes several introductory cases concerning one’s pursuit for the Good Life through the construct of pleasure. The author goes through the lens of Csikszentmihalyi Flow Theory as well as other beliefs such as Buddhism and hedonism to showcase how pleasure can be obtained through different mediums, such as skill acquisition, doing activities that are pleasurable and comforting, or sacrificing personal desires on the behalf of serving others. From this conversation, the author expresses a few ideas that explain why the constant pursuit for pleasure does not always lead to a life of joy, happiness, or fulfillment for several reasons. One of them involves the issue that the negating of moderation of pleasurable...
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...Hedonism Vs. Desire Satisfaction Theory Living the “good life” to many that means having lots of money, nice cars and dating beautiful women. However, to philosophers it isn’t that easy, to them living the good life has to do with either the theory of hedonism or desire satisfaction. Hedonism simply means that the only intrinsic good is pleasure and the only intrinsic bad is pain. Desire satisfaction theory is the theory that life is well when our desires our filled and bad when they are not. Both hedonism and desire satisfaction theory have their strengths and weaknesses. Hedonism and desire satisfaction theory are both vague enough to have many different models of the “good life” and they both allow personal authority. Another strength is that hedonism follows common sense, as for the desire satisfaction theory, it avoids objective values therefore he values are always relative to oneself. Now it wouldn’t be philosophy if both these theories didn’t have arguments against them. Although they both sound simple and perfect they have their weaknesses. For hedonism the first argument that could be made against it is that pleasure isn’t the only good in the world. For example someone who is working out might not enjoy the pain during the workout but exercise is good for everyone. A second argument weakness would be that because hedonists don’t let bad news affect them they wouldn’t have motivation to get better because they don’t let bad news bother them. For DST one of...
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...dictate his or her choices and ultimately control how the person lives. Of the numerous ethical theories that exist, utilitarianism is one of the most interesting and difficult to understand. While a utilitarian way of living may seem like an attractive existence to some, I believe it has some major flaws. Utilitarianism is a moral theory that states that a decision or action is only morally right if it conforms to the standard of utility. This means that the utilitarian will do something if and only if it produces more pleasure or less pain for all persons affected, than any other choice. This definition is essentially the same as the one for consequentialism, but utilitarianism also includes the theories of hedonism and eudaimonism. These two theories differ in that hedonism holds that pleasure and the avoidance of pain are the only things with intrinsic value, while eudaimonism states that only happiness has intrinsic value, and that happiness is more than just pleasure. Though some of the aspects of utilitarianism are certainly attractive, there is one main flaw to this moral theory. This belief states that the only important factor to be considered when making a decision, is the outcome. Utilitarianism fails to consider the action or motive involved in the choice. These two factors are of the utmost importance in the decision making process of most, but are completely ignored by the consequentialist theories. For example, a utilitarian might think themselves justified in...
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...search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life” (Camus, The Stranger) and he is correct. Trying to learn or understand a formula to be happy is futile and trying to figure out the ultimate Truth and Reality of the world will only make you miserable. There are two ideologies that I blend together and align myself with; Epicureanism and the idea that the greatest pleasures cannot be achieved without some pain. People should be more concerned with achieving happiness through the experiences they have rather than trying to understand and cope with the harsh Realities and Truths of the world. Epicureanism follows the thoughts of Epicurus, who believed in a type of “ethical hedonism.” This idea of “ethical hedonism” means to pursue pleasure with the only conscious experience you have and to avoid pain, obey the laws, and be honest. The model life he wanted to live can be described through attaining a happy, tranquil life, achieved through peace, freedom from fear, the absence of pain, and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. (Borchert et al., Encyclopedia of Philosophy) You have to experience everything to the right degree. Everyone should know their own point of “enough.” Epicurus said, "Nothing is enough for the man to whom...
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...Seminar Two: Short Paper B Macland Baker College Introduction: The Problem We are given two problems for ethical consideration. The problems are similar in some respects, but different in one primary detail. The problems are called The Trolley Problem 1 and The Trolley Problem 2. Both problems have a runaway trolley that will kill five people on the track ahead if it continues on its course uninterrupted. The first problem has a switch that will turn the trolley off the track with the five people on it and turn it onto a track where there is one person on it. By hitting the switch you will save the five people, but the trolley will kill the one person. Do you hit the switch to save the five, or let the trolley go and save the one? I would hit the switch and save the five. I felt that if I was put in the position of having to choose to save one or save five, I would choose to save five. To not act at all, to me, is still acting because your inaction still kills one person. It is better to kill five people over killing one person? Definitely not. Although I don’t advocate that killing one person is justified. My choice is simply made because I was given the option of saving one or saving five. My option was not killing one or killing five. Mentally, this changes the scenario. It makes me feel less personally responsible for the deaths. In the second problem there is no switch. The problem is made more personal by the presence of an individual. You are standing on a bridge...
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...Utilitarianism is an ethical theory composed by Joh Stuart Mill. Utilitarianism focuses on ideas of there being a hierarchy of pleasures in the world, that actions are justifiable so long as the outcomes benefit the wellbeing of the whole, and that in order of one to perform these actions they must become impartial spectators to the entire situation in order to make the best decision. With these concepts combined one can then see the anatomy of utilitarianism being that the happiness of the whole is considered greater than the happiness of the community so long as the happiness attained is above in the hierarchy of pleasures. Mill begins the discussion of his theory with his definition of happiness through the ‘Greatest Happiness Principle’. To Mill, happiness is, “intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the privation of pleasure” (517). Although happiness is the presence of pleasure and absence of pain, Mill describes that there is a hierarchy of pleasures based on their quality and quantity. This hierarchy of pleasures demonstrates that there is a difference in quality of pleasures that separate humans from creatures, “because a beast’s pleasures do not satisfy a human being’s conceptions of happiness” (517). If people were to pursue consistent pleasure from the engaging of animalistic pleasures (sex, food, drugs, or sleep), then they almost lose a sense of their humanity. As a result, there is a quality factor that is taken into consideration when...
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