Who was the most famous hedonist?

The most influential contributors to this theory are considered to be the 18th and 19th-century British philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

Is Plato a hedonist?

The word ‘hedonism’ comes from the ancient Greek for ‘pleasure’. Other key contributors to debate over hedonism include Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Aquinas, Butler, Hume, Mill, Nietzsche, Brentano, Sidgwick, Moore, Ross, Broad, Ryle and Chisholm.

Who is the father of hedonism?

Aristippus, (born c. 435 bce, Cyrene, Libya—died c. 356, Athens [Greece]), philosopher who was one of Socrates’ disciples and the founder of the Cyrenaic school of hedonism, the ethic of pleasure.

What is extreme hedonism?

hedonism, in ethics, a general term for all theories of conduct in which the criterion is pleasure of one kind or another. The earliest and most extreme form of hedonism is that of the Cyrenaics as stated by Aristippus, who argued that the goal of a good life should be the sentient pleasure of the moment.

Who is the founder of hedonism?

What is the paradox of hedonism?

The paradox of hedonism is the idea that intrinsically desiring nothing other than pleasure can prevent one from obtaining pleasure.

What does Socrates say about hedonism in Gorgias?

In Plato’s Gorgias, Socrates argues against the doctrine of hedonism insofar as the principle is advanced by his interlocutor, Callicles. The premise, as it is advanced by Callicles, claims that in order for a man to live correctly, he should “allow his own appetites to get as large as possible and not restrain them” (491e).

How does Socrates begin his refutation of Callicles’ formulation of hedonism?

Socrates begins his refutation of Callicles’ formulation of hedonism by comparing two men; one man has casks that are full of wine and honey while the second man has casks that cannot remain full due to their leaky condition.

What does Socrates say about the life of a stone?

Callicles bemoans Socrates, noting that the man whose casks are full is a man living the life of a stone, since he can no longer seek pleasure; he has all he can get. What may make Socrates’ beginning argument stronger than Callicles’ is the fact that Socrates sees no value in indulging one’s self beyond mere satisfaction.

What makes hedonism distinctive and philosophically interesting?

However, the claim that pleasure and pain are the only things of ultimate importance is what makes hedonism distinctive and philosophically interesting. Philosophical hedonists tend to focus on hedonistic theories of value, and especially of well-being (the good life for the one living it).