Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) was a foundational proponent of quantitative hedonism and hedonistic utilitarianism. He believed that all human action is motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Bentham proposed that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by the balance of pleasure over pain it produces.
Bentham's claim that pain and pleasure determine what we do makes him a psychological hedonist, and more specifically a hedonist about the determination of action.
Aristippus of Cyrene (/ˌærəˈstɪpəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἀρίστιππος ὁ Κυρηναῖος; c. 435 – c. 356 BCE) was a hedonistic Greek philosopher and the founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy.
In his tireless advocacy of all manner of humane reforms, and staunch belief that morality should not be decided by religion, Jeremy Bentham was a significant proponent of humanist values.
Epicurus, William James, Sigmund Freud, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and (on one interpretation) even Charles Darwin have all argued for varieties of Motivational Hedonism. Bentham used the idea to support his theory of Hedonistic Utilitarianism (discussed below).
Hedonism is one of the oldest philosophical theories. Some interpreters trace it back to the Epic of Gilgamesh, written around 2100–2000 BCE. It was a central topic in ancient Greek thought, where Aristippus of Cyrene (435–356 BCE) is usually identified as its earliest philosophical proponent.
Christ says true pleasure is found in life eternal, which, to hedonism's disgust, can only be found by those who are willing to endure intense pain for the Lord (Matt. 16:24).
Bentham advocated the rational revision of the legal system, a restructuring of the process of determining responsibility and of punishment, and a more extensive freedom of contract. This, he believed, would favor not only the development of the community, but the personal development of the individual.
Bentham believed that it is possible to estimate the amount of a pain or pleasure, and he suggested seven calculable factors: intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent.
Many scholars attempt to identify the Superman of Nietzsche is a pessimist or nihilist and not a hedonist. Nietzsche wqs not only influenced by schopenhauer but also Greek and Romqn conception of the self. Schopenhauer was much influenced by pessimism and Buddhism.
For as much as our culture embraces hedonism, or what we might call performative hedonism, our stronger impulse lies with skepticism. Oscar Wilde was hardly a skeptic. He was a disciple of pleasure and of his own considerable wit.
I will take hedonism here to mean that the goal of life is pleasure and the good is to have as much pleasure as possible. On this definition, Aristotle is not a hedonist. For Aristotle, pleasure accompanies being ethically good for the phronemos (the man of practical wisdom).
This article covers four types of hedonism: ancient hedonism; ethical hedonism; axiological hedonism; and psychological hedonism. It concentrates on the latter two types, both by clarifying them and by discussing arguments in their behalf.
In their defence, many activists bring up a quote by Jeremy Bentham: “The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being?” – Bentham (1789) – An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation.
Jeremy Bentham listed 14 kinds of pleasure; sense, wealth, skill, amity, a good name, power, piety, benevolence, malevolence, memory, imagination, expectation, pleasures dependent on association, and the pleasures of relief.
Jesus' teachings, if ever He lived and as recorded in the Gospels, emphasize Compassion, tolerance, and care for the oppressed, the poor, and the marginalized. Also, He was a steadfast advocate for peace and understanding, values that are central to humanism.
He was also a passionate humanist, who actively supported the Ethical Culture movement in the US, was a founder member of the First Humanist Society of New York, and an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Press Association in the UK.
Petrarch is traditionally called the “Father of Humanism,” both for his influential philosophical attitudes, found in his numerous personal letters, and his discovery and compilation of classical texts.
Bentham's conversion to a more liberal policy of radical constitutional reform began in earnest in the years after 1809, following his association with James Mill and as a result of his own experiences of trying to persuade government to adopt utilitarian social reforms.
As explained in Chapter 1: Introduction to Utilitarianism, the core idea of utilitarianism is that we should want to improve the well-being of everyone by as much as possible. Utilitarian theories share four elements: consequentialism, welfarism, impartiality, and aggregationism.
Bentham's view was that since all knowledge was founded on our experience of the natural world derived from our sense-perception, there could, by definition, be no knowledge of anything supernatural. To speak about God, his attributes or his activities was therefore to speak nonsense.
Donald Trump identifies as a Christian, having grown up Presbyterian but now describes himself as a nondenominational Christian, influenced by "positive thinking" teachings from his time at Marble Collegiate Church. His faith journey involves a blend of traditional Christianity and a charismatic, "anointed by God" narrative, resonating strongly with many white evangelical Christians who see him as a defender of faith, despite his personal religious observance being a topic of discussion.
