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Pleasures and Pains: A Theory of Qualitative Hedonism
This work offers a cogent and reasoned response to what may well be the single most important question a human being can ever ask or try to answer: What makes life worth living?
A professional philosopher who writes clearly and engagingly, Rem B. Edwards contends that the theory of qualitative hedonism provides the most plausible answer to this question. His purpose is twofold: to make sense of John Stuart Mill's long-neglected claim that pleasures and pains differ in quality as well as quantity, and to explore the ethical applications and ramifications of this claim. He characterizes hedonism as “the theory that only pleasure or happiness defined in terms of pleasure is intrinsically good, and that only pain or unhappiness defined in terms of pain is intrinsically bad.” According to the quantitative hedonist, he says, pleasures differ from pains in duration, intensity, and proximity, and in their causal connections. He clarifies Mill's argument that pleasures and pains differ from one another not in these respects but also psychologically, as qualities of feeling, and normatively, in terms of desirability.
Mr. Edwards shows that philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Spinoza anticipated the essential features of an intelligible theory of qualitative hedonism, and points out what he regards to be the serious conceptual and ethical inadequacies of quantitative hedonism. Developing and defending Mill's theory of intrinsic good and evil against quantitative hedonistic and pluralistic theories, he explores Mill's conceptions of rational methodology in ethics in connection with his “proof” of utilitarianism.
The philosophical prophecies of Huxley's Brave New World, the ranking of pleasures and pains, the consequences of electrode implants in the human brain, localized and nonlocalized feelings—these are some of the topics that Mr. Edwards addresses. His book contributes significantly to an understanding of the elements that make up the good life for humanity.
A professional philosopher who writes clearly and engagingly, Rem B. Edwards contends that the theory of qualitative hedonism provides the most plausible answer to this question. His purpose is twofold: to make sense of John Stuart Mill's long-neglected claim that pleasures and pains differ in quality as well as quantity, and to explore the ethical applications and ramifications of this claim. He characterizes hedonism as “the theory that only pleasure or happiness defined in terms of pleasure is intrinsically good, and that only pain or unhappiness defined in terms of pain is intrinsically bad.” According to the quantitative hedonist, he says, pleasures differ from pains in duration, intensity, and proximity, and in their causal connections. He clarifies Mill's argument that pleasures and pains differ from one another not in these respects but also psychologically, as qualities of feeling, and normatively, in terms of desirability.
Mr. Edwards shows that philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Spinoza anticipated the essential features of an intelligible theory of qualitative hedonism, and points out what he regards to be the serious conceptual and ethical inadequacies of quantitative hedonism. Developing and defending Mill's theory of intrinsic good and evil against quantitative hedonistic and pluralistic theories, he explores Mill's conceptions of rational methodology in ethics in connection with his “proof” of utilitarianism.
The philosophical prophecies of Huxley's Brave New World, the ranking of pleasures and pains, the consequences of electrode implants in the human brain, localized and nonlocalized feelings—these are some of the topics that Mr. Edwards addresses. His book contributes significantly to an understanding of the elements that make up the good life for humanity.
- GenresPhilosophy
163 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1979
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September 19, 2023
I plan to come back to this over intervals once I learn more about hedonism, this is a in depth look into qualitative hedonism and I felt like I needed prior knowledge to fully grasp the ideals and comprehend what was being said.
The overall tone was great, it felt like a university lecture that was informational had a lot of great sources and I got a lot of book recommendations that I plan to read and then come back to.
The overall tone was great, it felt like a university lecture that was informational had a lot of great sources and I got a lot of book recommendations that I plan to read and then come back to.
Displaying 1 of 1 review