Hedonism

[.xstrike-anywherex.]

How do you feel about hedonism, a.k.a., pleasure seeking lifestyles? Do you feel that it's fine to seek pleasure as long as it is safe and not harmful to people? Do you think that rationality should always be working or we should have some moments against rationality to just become lost in pleasure? Do you think that hedonism is only bad if it causes bad results, or is there something intrinsically wrong with it?

My personal philosophy is that our lives should be meaningful, and that we should live without doing harm to others or ourselves. However, I also feel that there are appropriate times to indulge, not just with food or sex, but even drugs are acceptable if someone can use them without hurting others or damaging themselves. But how responsible are people?

[Faby]

.xstrike-anywherex. Wrote:How do you feel about hedonism, a.k.a., pleasure seeking lifestyles? Do you feel that it's fine to seek pleasure as long as it is safe and not harmful to people?

Uhm, what other purpose is there to life if not to seek pleasure?
It pretty much strikes me as odd how society today believes that if you don't go through pain you can't have pleasure. I think BDSM's the new fashion. >_>

What do you mean by meaningful? Meaningful to yourself or to others? If the first, yes. If the second, no. I don't like the fact that people nowadays are so hellbent on only doing things that please others and not themselves. Of course, if the biggest pleasure you have is by pleasing others, then it's a win-win situation. I'd rather not have my mind clogged up with things like "you have to live to help others". Sure, if I can help, I'll try to, but as long as I didn't hurt you in the first place, don't expect me to go all Jesus-ish for you.

And, as long as you get pleasure, the results shouldn't matter, unless you harm someone in the process. For example, I don't like smoking, but if others do, and they want to smoke in spite of the risks, then they should, by all means. It's better to live a short life of pleasure than a long one of boredom and abstinence. You should indulge your every wish, every time you feel like it, if it doesn't hurt anybody except yourself. If it both pleases and harms you, then you should choose your actions depending on what has the bigger impact.

[psychopath]

Quote:And, as long as you get pleasure, the results shouldn't matter, unless you harm someone in the process.

[.xstrike-anywherex.]

Well smoking as an example, it's not as if someone is obligated to live a longer life. If someone wants to damn the risks and smoke because they enjoy it, that's fine. Their choice, not even necessarily a bad one. But if they develop a disease from smoking, and this disease causes them misery, then the pleasure is negated to a certain point. The question isn't whether or not people are self-interested, of course all people are. The question is should our self-interest look at the moment or the long term?

[.xstrike-anywherex.]

I don't think hedonists work on prolonging each good moment, I think they work on finding new good moments every day. Egoists on the other hand prolong their general and long-term well being as long as they can.

Though I think there must be some middle ground. You can't plan for the future forever - you'll die one day. Picking up long-term careers is fine but they should bring you some amount of happiness. You don't want to work miserably for 20 years in hope that there's a light at the end of it.

I don't have a problem with hedonism, I just think people need to be responsible with it.

[John Tuttle]

Maybe

[Darthmat]

.xstrike-anywherex. Wrote:I don't think hedonists work on prolonging each good moment, I think they work on finding new good moments every day.

Someone's gonna hit a brick wall real hard if they trying to do that.