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Hedonism and Pleasure
Not all things pleasurable are hedonistic. It’s a pleasure to taste well-prepared food. It’s a pleasure to rest after a toilsome day. It’s a pleasure to know you’ve done a job well. In itself, pleasure is good. Pleasure is a part of God’s creation, of which he himself said was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Moreover, the wise man of Old Testament times wrote that “there is nothing better for a man than that he should enjoy eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor” (Ecclesiastes 2:24).
Yet pleasure, as a part of creation, is no more worthy of one’s total pursuit than is fame, riches or power. The pursuit of pleasure may, in fact, be harmful rather than beneficial. Jesus once told a parable about how the word of God, when planted in the hearts of some people, is choked by “cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14). The pursuit of pleasure apart from godliness is like serving the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25.)
The philosophy most associated with pleasure is that of ‘hedonism.’ The name of this philosophy comes from the ancient Greek word hedone which indicates pleasure. In ancient times, the philosophy of hedonism was promoted in various forms by Cyrenians and Epicureans. The Cyrenians tended to stress the licentious and restricted pleasures to those of the senses whereas the Epicureans, while acknowledging the pleasures of sex, put more emphasis on peace of mind and the absence of pain.
Modern philosophers such as Thomas Hobbs, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mills have also defended hedonism. Hedonism is now often categorized in different ways. Psychological hedonism contends that as a matter of scientific fact, pleasure is man’s only motivation. Utilitarian hedonism contends that a person’s conduct should have as its goal the giving of pleasure to the greatest possible number of people. Egotistic hedonism restricts pleasure to that of a single person. Philosophical hedonism contends that moral conduct should seek the most pleasure with the least amount of pain. In any case, hedonism is not so much the doing of a specific act which grants pleasure (such as obtained through eating or sexual activity) as it is a way of life produced by the viewpoint that there is nothing more worthy of pursuit in life than that which gives pleasure.
Although Christians distinguish between those pleasures that are biblically moral from those that are Biblically immoral, there is no such distinction in hedonism. To a hedonist, whatever is considered pleasurable is considered morally good. Hedonism does not rely upon sources outside of man to determine what is pleasurable and what is not. In hedonism, as in humanism, “man is the measure of all things.” In hedonism, pleasure is the means by which man measures all things.
Not all things pleasurable are hedonistic. It’s a pleasure to taste well-prepared food. It’s a pleasure to rest after a toilsome day. It’s a pleasure to know you’ve done a job well. In itself, pleasure is good. Pleasure is a part of God’s creation, of which he himself said was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Moreover, the wise man of Old Testament times wrote that “there is nothing better for a man than that he should enjoy eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor” (Ecclesiastes 2:24).
Yet pleasure, as a part of creation, is no more worthy of one’s total pursuit than is fame, riches or power. The pursuit of pleasure may, in fact, be harmful rather than beneficial. Jesus once told a parable about how the word of God, when planted in the hearts of some people, is choked by “cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14). The pursuit of pleasure apart from godliness is like serving the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25.)
The philosophy most associated with pleasure is that of ‘hedonism.’ The name of this philosophy comes from the ancient Greek word hedone which indicates pleasure. In ancient times, the philosophy of hedonism was promoted in various forms by Cyrenians and Epicureans. The Cyrenians tended to stress the licentious and restricted pleasures to those of the senses whereas the Epicureans, while acknowledging the pleasures of sex, put more emphasis on peace of mind and the absence of pain.
Modern philosophers such as Thomas Hobbs, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mills have also defended hedonism. Hedonism is now often categorized in different ways. Psychological hedonism contends that as a matter of scientific fact, pleasure is man’s only motivation. Utilitarian hedonism contends that a person’s conduct should have as its goal the giving of pleasure to the greatest possible number of people. Egotistic hedonism restricts pleasure to that of a single person. Philosophical hedonism contends that moral conduct should seek the most pleasure with the least amount of pain. In any case, hedonism is not so much the doing of a specific act which grants pleasure (such as obtained through eating or sexual activity) as it is a way of life produced by the viewpoint that there is nothing more worthy of pursuit in life than that which gives pleasure.
Although Christians distinguish between those pleasures that are biblically moral from those that are Biblically immoral, there is no such distinction in hedonism. To a hedonist, whatever is considered pleasurable is considered morally good. Hedonism does not rely upon sources outside of man to determine what is pleasurable and what is not. In hedonism, as in humanism, “man is the measure of all things.” In hedonism, pleasure is the means by which man measures all things.
