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HEDONISM IS NOT AN ETHICAL SYSTEM
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HEDONISM IS NOT AN ETHICAL SYSTEM1. CYRENAIC PHILOSOPHY OF HEDONISM ISN’T AN ETHICAL SYSTEM, SINCE IT’S NOT BASED IN OBLIGATION. Malaspina Great Books ( There was no consistency in the Cyrenaic theory of conduct; probably none was looked for. Indeed, in spite of the example of the founders of the school, the later Cyrenaics fell far below the level of what was expected from philosophers, even in Greece, and their doctrine came to be merely a set of maxims to justify the careless manner of living of men whose chief aim in life was a pleasant time. But, taken at its best, the Cyrenaic philosophy can hardly justify its claim to be considered an ethical System at all. For good and evil it substituted the pleasant and the painful, without reference, direct or indirect, to obligation or duty. In some points of doctrine the school descends to the commonplace, as when it justifies obedience to law by remarking that the observance of the law of the land leads to the avoidance of punishment, and that one should act honestly because one thereby increases the sum of pleasure. 2. HEDONISM HAS NO MORAL BASIS AND DESTROYS COMMUNITY Charles Wellborn, Professor of Religion Emeritus at Florida State University, CHRISTIAN ETHICS TODAY, December 1999. “If It Feels Good, Do It”. Issue 25, Vol 5, No. 6. p-np.
Charles Wellborn, Professor of Religion Emeritus at Florida State University, CHRISTIAN ETHICS TODAY, December 1999. “If It Feels Good, Do It”. Issue 25, Vol 5, No. 6. p-np. The shape of that order will depend totally on the will of the rulers in power, and, since those rulers are themselves, like their subjects, corrupted human beings, that order may well be tyranny of the worst order. Hobbes hoped for beneficent rulers, but the history of the 20th century has taught us that, in the name of order, dictatorial rulers like Hitler and Stalin may seek to impose the most diabolical kind of structure upon their people, all in the name of "the greatest good for the greatest number. “To move from the "feel good" idea to the extremes of Nazism and Communism may seem like a huge jump, but the logic is inexorable.
4. EVEN WITHIN DEMOCRACY, HEDONISM RESULTS IN INJUSTICE AND OPPRESSION Charles Wellborn, Professor of Religion Emeritus at Florida State University, CHRISTIAN ETHICS TODAY, December 1999. “If It Feels Good, Do It”. Issue 25, Vol 5, No. 6. p-np. Even in a democratic society like our own, still guided to some extent by a sense of moral imperative, the dangers are fully apparent. True, those less powerful elements in our society, whether they be economic, ethnic, or social, rightly feel that they have no alternative except to organize themselves into power blocs of their own, more nearly equipped to oppose discrimination and oppression. Yet, if these new power groups are concerned only with their own welfare--their own "pleasure," with no real regard for the rights of others, the result can only be a continuation of injustice. The political, social, economic, or racial structure may be turned upside down, but one oppressive group will only have been substituted for another. 5. THE HEDONIST ETHIC IS INEVITABLY SELF-DEFEATING Charles Wellborn, Professor of Religion Emeritus at Florida State University, CHRISTIAN ETHICS TODAY, December 1999. “If It Feels Good, Do It”. Issue 25, Vol 5, No. 6. p-np. The "feel-good" ethic is finally and inevitably self-defeating. The individual who lives only for his own pleasure will eventually face the situation in which his "pleasure" is opposed by another individual or group with more power, and the individual's pleasure will be replaced with misery. When power becomes the only ingredient in the social process, the weak must inevitably suffer. HEDONISM RESULTS IN GREED1. SHOULD SUPPORT UTILITARIANISM OVER HEDONISM, WHICH RESULTS IN CONSUMERISM AND COMPETITION Jennifer Margolin, CSU Northdridge. HEDONISM AT ITS BEST AND WORST. May 7, 2001
People are so completely spoiled by the availability of having anything and everything in their hands at any given moment, that we have lost touch with the simple things that life has to offer. It seems that there will always be a constant pursuit of endless gratification. We live in an industrialized nation where the ideological norm is how to get to the top, or how to step on others to get to the top. Granted, this is not a way of life for everyone, however, this is what we are being taught. You must pay your dues by working hard in order to achieve any kind of happiness and financial security. People are more focused on being consumers, rather than focusing on their inner self without any of the material possessions that they think makes themselves better or more well adjusted individuals. There needs to be a modification of the idea that people cannot be happy without artificial luxuries, and more of a focus on individuals doing good deeds for others as well as themselves. This not only benefits that particular individual, it also benefits that charity in which they are helping. In any case, when you give as well as receive, this is an absolute great way to derive pleasure and happiness by making it a completely selfless act. 2. FRAMEWORK FOR HEDONIST ETHICS UNCLEAR AND RESULTS IN OVERINDULGENCE AND MENTAL AND PHYSICAL PAIN Jennifer Margolin, CSU Northdridge. HEDONISM AT ITS BEST AND WORST. May 7, 2001 Another problem with a hedonist lifestyle is the issue of overindulgence. With the ultimate goals being pleasure and happiness, how does one determine what is moral and what is simply wrong? Who and what draw the line? If something gives you pleasure, why wouldn’t you pre-occupy yourself with it and exclude everything else that didn’t bring you joy? There is an insatiable amount of certain desires and self-interest, once one is shown these types of pleasures. We are a world enslaved by trying to fulfill and pursue our desires, whether they are physical or mental. “Human happiness consists in genuine freedom, liberation from pleasures and all pleasure seeking and attachments, which is ultimately to live in accordance with nature by shedding the artificial creations of human beings which are the cause of further desires and attachments.” The selfish pursuits of one’s constant hunger are causes for our mental and physical pain by not being able to fulfill every wish and desire. 3. HEDONISM PROMOTES CONSUMERISM Charles Wellborn, Professor of Religion Emeritus at Florida State University, CHRISTIAN ETHICS TODAY, December 1999. “If It Feels Good, Do It”. Issue 25, Vol 5, No. 6. p-np. We must not deceive ourselves, however, into thinking that sex is the only moral problem area in our modern society. We live in an entrepreneurial age, and the self-made man, economically speaking, is our hero. To be rich--to "make it" economically--has been established as the ultimate hallmark of success. Our consumer-oriented society encourages us to value economic achievement--sometimes however brought about--as the most admirable of all goals. This means that material prosperity has been equated with the highest pleasure, and the "if it feels good, do it" philosophy reigns supreme. 4. HEDONIST CONSUMERISM RESULTS IN STEALING Charles Wellborn, Professor of Religion Emeritus at Florida State University, CHRISTIAN ETHICS TODAY, December 1999. “If It Feels Good, Do It”. Issue 25, Vol 5, No. 6. p-np.
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