Feldman's Modified Hedonism
Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2024 5:28 am
For those who are pro Hedonism, here is an interesting take on Hedonism.
The two main categories of Hedonism are
1. Philosophical Hedonism,
2. Folk Hedonism - anything goes in the name of pleasure [perjorative].
In general Philosophical Hedonism are trashed with loads of objections from its opponents.
Personally I believe Hedonism-in-general as a way of life is self-defeating.
Feldman termed those trashed-Hedonism as Classical Hedonism, Default Hedonism and or Sensory Hedonism.
To maintain Hedonism as a way of life and morality in modernity, Feldman decides to modify Classical Hedonism to make it more 'palatable' for the masses.
In this book, Pleasure and The Good Life; Concerning The Nature, Varieties, And Plausibility Of Hedonism,
https://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Good-Li ... 0199297606
he wrote;
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The two main categories of Hedonism are
1. Philosophical Hedonism,
2. Folk Hedonism - anything goes in the name of pleasure [perjorative].
In general Philosophical Hedonism are trashed with loads of objections from its opponents.
Personally I believe Hedonism-in-general as a way of life is self-defeating.
Feldman termed those trashed-Hedonism as Classical Hedonism, Default Hedonism and or Sensory Hedonism.
To maintain Hedonism as a way of life and morality in modernity, Feldman decides to modify Classical Hedonism to make it more 'palatable' for the masses.
In this book, Pleasure and The Good Life; Concerning The Nature, Varieties, And Plausibility Of Hedonism,
https://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Good-Li ... 0199297606
he wrote;
Here is "a" review:Feldman wrote:So instead of arguing for Hedonism, I operate in another way: I formulate a version of Hedonism; I then subject it to all the main objections I can think of.
I claim that the Good Life is the pleasant life. I claim that pleasure is the Good. Since I make these claims, I am a hedonist.
That hope—the hope for a life Good-in-Itself for the one who lives it—is a hope about the topic of this book.
The above is merely information for those interested.Reviewer X wrote:Fred Feldman, in his book "Pleasure and the Good Life," presents a refined version of hedonism, focusing on attitudinal pleasure rather than sensory pleasure. He argues that our positive and negative attitudes towards things, rather than mere physical sensations, are the primary determinants of our well-being.
Key Points of Feldman's Modified Hedonism:
Attitudinal Pleasure: Feldman emphasizes the importance of our attitudes towards things, such as beliefs, desires, and hopes. Positive attitudes, like joy, contentment, and satisfaction, contribute to a good life, while negative attitudes, like sadness, frustration, and despair, diminish it.
Intrinsic Value of Attitudes: Feldman argues that positive attitudes have intrinsic value, meaning they are valuable in themselves, not merely as means to some other end.
Desert-Adjusted Hedonism: Feldman introduces the concept of "desert" to account for moral considerations. He suggests that the value of a person's pleasure or pain is influenced by their moral worthiness. A morally deserving person's pleasure is more valuable than that of a morally undeserving person.
Truth-Adjusted Hedonism: Feldman acknowledges the importance of truth in evaluating the value of pleasure. He argues that pleasures derived from false beliefs are less valuable than those based on true beliefs.
Feldman's modified hedonism offers a more nuanced and sophisticated approach to understanding well-being. By focusing on attitudinal pleasure and incorporating moral considerations, he aims to address some of the traditional criticisms of hedonism.
However, his theory is not without its challenges. Critics argue that it may be difficult to accurately measure the value of different attitudes and that it may overemphasize the role of moral desert in determining well-being.
Nonetheless, Feldman's work provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate about the nature of happiness and the good life.
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