Critique of Hedonism (original) (raw)

Hedonistic Values: The term 'Hedonism' derives its origin from the Latin word hedone which means pleasure. This implises that hedonistic values subsists in pleasure,i.e, pleasure is the highest good.This is how man augments his actions with a view to derive maximum pleasure. The exponents of hedonism are J.S. Mill, James Bentham, David Hume andEpicurians. These thinkers assert that pleasure if the ultimate objective or SummumBonum of life. So it is an obvious phenomenon that according to these thinkers man always hankers after pleasure and avoid pain. Again according to these thinkers pleasure is that quality of mental process which man gets after the successful completion of an action entailing pleasurable perception with regard to a stupendous fortune.1 In view of the above we shall quote here the views of Bentham and Mill which are elucidated as follows. ``Bentham observes``Nature has placed mankind under the sovereign masters, viz , pleasure and pain; that man always seeks pleasure and pain.''2It is because of pleasure and pain only we do what we ought to do and what we shall do, i.e, our prospect is always some pleasure for which the action is facilitated as a means to produce pleasure thereby some pain are prevented with fruitful actions. Our motive is substantially nothing more than pleasure and pain acting in a particular manner. It is evident the , according to Bentham, actions are to be carried on keeping in view of pleasure /pain considerations. J.S. Mill also expounds``desiring a thing and finding it pleasant, aversion to it and thinking of it as painful are phenomena are entirely inseparable, rather two aspects of the same phenomena3''. The statement of Mill holds that attaining pleasure is the main objective of every action to which we are going to materialize. Hedonism emphasizes supreme importance to the heretic aspect of human nature. This revels that feeling or perceptual knowledge is the vital action of mental process.``Reason and will are good only as means of procuring and maintaining feeling; but feeling itself is good only in so far as it is pleasurable.''4 All that are not withstanding hedonistic values are basically perceptual or sensualistic by nature. In view of the above we may quote the aphorism of a British poet which are elucidated as follows.