Hedonist - what kind of person is this?

Each of us, whether we realize this or not, has its own vital core, a certain worldview on the goal of human existence and its set of values that we set above all else. Freedom of choice, the characteristics of the cultural environment and the eternal search for life values have led to the emergence of many subcultures, including goths, emo, thrash, hedonists, etc. etc. The latter in our time constitute a fairly large group, and therefore talk about them in the first place.

History of the emergence of this worldview

Hedonist is a person for whom the main goal in life and the highest good is to receive pleasure and pleasure. Accordingly, he tries in every possible way to avoid everything that suffering can bring. This life position has a very rich history. The beginning of the doctrine that justifies this type of worldview emerged around 400 BC in Ancient Greece. At that time Aristippus of Cyrene lived there, who first developed and preached this doctrine. Initially, it was believed that a hedonist is a person for whom everything that brings pleasure is good. From this it follows that the priority of the needs of the individual who shares this doctrine will always be higher before social institutions, which turn into conventions that limit his freedom. This point of view often led to extremes. So, among the followers of Aristippus there were also those who believed that a hedonist is one for which any pleasure is justified, and this explains all his actions aimed at obtaining pleasure.

Wise Socrates criticized this extreme. He recognized that pleasure plays a big role in life, but at the same time he subdivided them into good and bad, as well as true and false. Aristotle did not at all recognize them for good and believed that in themselves they are not worthy of being life goals. Despite such criticism, the school of hedonists did not cease to exist and was developed in the form of a moderate version proposed by Epicurus.

This Greek philosopher taught that only necessary and natural pleasures that do not destroy the imperturbability of the human soul are worthy of being the goal of the aspirations of the individual. In the Renaissance, the soft epicurean version of this trend predominated. And since the end of the 18th century, hedonism has gradually acquired a new form - utilitarianism. Its peculiarity is that the moral value of an act or behavior is determined by utility.

Why are many negative about hedonism

Hardly anyone will argue with the fact that everything is good only in moderation. The same rule applies to obtaining pleasures. Do you want to know who a real hedonist is? This is a person who is too keen on getting physiological pleasures. He overeat harmful food, drink alcohol that destroys his body and mind, smokes tobacco and is completely irresponsible in sex. The classic portrait looks like this: an overzealous hedonist is excommunicated to induce vomiting for the possibility of continuing the feast. Hedonists are rather selfish, but at the same time they easily converge with each other if they feel that it can bring them some benefit, for example, to make a career.