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Hedonism
February 13, 2013 at 4:06 pm
One of the things that bothers me most about religion is that it almost uniformly is about denying oneself pleasure. Also, moral theories are often about denying oneself pleasure. Therefore, I am drawn to hedonism, a philosophy that holds that seeking pleasure is not only good, it is the only good. While I don't necessarily agree with that philosophy wholeheartedly, it is interesting to me.
Are there any hedonists here? Is hedonism compatible with religion or morality? What are your views on hedonism?
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RE: Hedonism
February 14, 2013 at 12:52 am
Hedonism is basically the way i live my life, if i was rich i would basically enclose myself in an expensive hotel and fuck 24 hours a day with all kinds of different STD free women.
But with every type of pleasure ive obsessed over in my life its come with consiquences.
I think drugs come with more consiquences than sex so thats why logically ive chosen sex over drugs.
Are you ready for the fire? We are firemen. WE ARE FIREMEN! The heat doesn’t bother us. We live in the heat. We train in the heat. It tells us that we’re ready, we’re at home, we’re where we’re supposed to be. Flames don’t intimidate us. What do we do? We control the flame. We control them. We move the flames where we want to. And then we extinguish them.
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RE: Hedonism
February 14, 2013 at 12:56 am
Havent heard that term since 7th grade greek lessons.
Ever been to Berlin?
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RE: Hedonism
February 14, 2013 at 8:29 am
(This post was last modified: February 14, 2013 at 8:37 am by mralstoner.)
Actually we are all hedonists (for want of a better word), including religious people. All people act in pursuit of emotional rewards. That's psychology 101.
Atheists/humanists seek their rewards here on earth.
Christians seek their rewards in the afterlife, or in community with god and fellow believers, or with the holy spirit, or they enjoy the certitude of a simple and stable moral culture, or they think Christian culture is good for a happy family and community life, etc.
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio showed that humans cannot act without emotional stimulus. We become chronic procrastinators, or vegetables.
So the question is not whether we are hedonists/emotivists but, rather, what things we take pleasure in. Atheism v. religion, impulsive v. balanced, liberal v. conservative, strawberry v. chocolate, traditional v. progressive, etc. These are all emotional preferences when you boil it down (apart from the belief aspect of religion).
