Philosophy

Psychological egoism is a theory widely known to a lot of people. It focuses on the reality that desire is driven by self  interest. Oftentimes, we even desire for the things that other people possess. Consequently, the desire that people derived from self  interest is brought by selfishness. Psychological egoism is apparent from its definition as a theory for it actually describes psychological facts. Egoism can also refer to ethical ideals where a person seeks life according to a well  being. Ethical egoism is a lot different from psychological egoism.

Hedonistic theories of well  being claim that well being consists of pleasure and freedom from pain. Pleasure and pain are products of nature and each may bring value or disvalue to ones well  being.

Pleasure can be understood as a satisfying feeling such as happiness. However, satisfaction is still a different thing. Pleasure can be simply defined as a pleasing feeling in which a person places great worth. Hedonistic theories consider all pleasures to be intrinsically good. However, it is not the same as saying all pleasures are good. Sometimes, pleasures serve as a means of pain to other people. Seen this way, pleasure is viewed in many ways depending on our perspective.

Jeremy Bentham regards pleasure as a selfish motive in a desire for others own pleasure. This brings us to psychological hedonism which believes that ultimate pleasure is achieved by prolonging the pleasant experiences (pleasures) and cutting short the unpleasant experiences (pain). This descriptive theory proves that all people go for pleasure  we naturally seek for pleasure.

Psychological egoism reasons out the desires, pleasures and motives brought about by a person. A person seeks for his own pleasure and satisfaction. Whenever a person acts, it is a mutual decision from his own thinking. This decision is carried out by his capacity to put himself to the limits and to gain satisfaction from his desires. That is why people often say that we gain satisfaction, when we get what we want. Sometimes, we might also be deceived by our own motives. We desire for a greater image or for pleasure. Some people might even think that they are able to do something good because something is in it.

Bentham brings us to a generalization that a persons motivation to do things depend on the desires and pleasures that may be obtained from it. Thus, a person is motivated for pleasure and motivated against pain. A persons action is driven by his personal motives.

However, logical confusions arise from the hedonistic theories of well  being. There is a conflict between the beliefs that action is brought by motives with that of the belief that a person naturally seeks for pleasure. All motives are selfish. Basically, it is not a question of where the motive originally traces its roots from but it is a question of what is the purpose of the motive.

The aim of every motive is to gain pleasure. However, hedonistic theories of well  being provided reasons that pleasure is not sought constantly. People derive pleasure in many ways but they can still derive the same level of pleasure for those different ways. The reason for this is the dissatisfaction of people. Pleasure does not always guarantee satisfaction. We gain dissatisfaction from a lot of things because people are used to receiving extra pleasure in fulfilling their own desires. Sometimes, fulfilling your own desire requires you to advance in the next fulfillment of your desire for you to gain another bonus.

However, it is not safe to say that our pleasure is our own satisfaction. We do not just satisfy ourselves to gain pleasure. Satisfaction provides us an image of what should be desired. Satisfaction is simply getting what we want.

Hedonistic theories of well  being provide us with an argument that pleasure is product of selfish acts. Sometimes, we derive pleasure from unselfish acts. Pleasure is a proof of a persons eagerness of another pleasure which is not derived from his previous desire. Seen this way, pleasure is not just simply a state of well  being.

Pleasure cannot always be an object of desire but it can be a result of a desire. Pleasure can be derived as a consequence of an unselfish act in a desire for something else other than your own.

In some cases, the pain of a person can be a pleasure of another person. The consequences can be bad, but hedonistic theories consider pleasure to be intrinsically good. This means that something that is intrinsically good can be instrumentally bad. People have many interests and motives. Some people may bring help while some may cause danger. Some may be contented in sharing happiness and goodness to others. Some may be selfish and may be contented in focusing in his own desires and pleasures.

Pleasure can be intentional. It can be a product of an experience brought about by different attitudes of a person. Some actions are results of peoples intent to gain a good deception of his well  being. They are motivated by the desire to project a good image of themselves by helping other people through their own pleasures. That is unselfishness.
Thus, pleasure can be self  constructive.

As stated and explained many times, pleasure is a product of an action. It is brought by a persons desire to gain his own pleasure. The hedonistic paradox brings us to a realization that pleasure is temporary. Desire is just a state of mind and so it follows that pleasure is also a state of mind  a state of well  being. In comparison with happiness, one is happy if he chooses to be happy. One is not happy if he chooses to be not. This relationship comes to a realization that desire can be controlled. There are other factors that should be considered in aiming at a particular thing.

The paradox of hedonism is just trying to point out that if we want to gain pleasure, we must not just focus on gaining pleasure itself. We must also consider the by-products that can be obtained in our desire for pleasure. These can either be happiness, satisfaction or any desire for another thing. We do not just focus on one thing. Instead, we must desire for something other than itself. We need to pursue other things in order to achieve that one specific desire.

Hedonistic theories of well  being is accompanied by psychology as a science. Consequently, pleasure is accompanied by sensation. Sensation is a physical state that involves senses. Weve known earlier that pleasure is derived from desire. So it is right to say that pleasure is fulfillment of a desire. However, it is not always referred as satisfaction.

Psychological hedonism defines people to be natural seekers of pleasure. We also need to take into account the two perspectives of sensation  pleasure and pain. People would rather desire for pleasure rather than pain. This pleasant sensation drives people for satisfaction. Pleasure can also be accounted for actions and its motives.

Pleasure is desirable. It can serve as a driving force for more desires. People obtain pleasure in different ways. We obtain pleasure through pleasant emotions and interaction with the environment that surround us.

The desire for pleasure also takes into account the moral aspects of well  being. Ethics provides us an authoritarian theory of hedonism. It states that doing the right thing causes pleasure while doing the wrong thing causes pain. However, morality does not always proceed to happiness. Doing the right thing does not always lead to pleasure.

Our everyday experiences prove that we always seek for satisfaction. Thus, we usually try to find satisfaction in our pleasures. Satisfaction results to a realization of a broader desire for other things. All people, in fact, pursue pleasure. It is clear to every people that in our attempt to find satisfaction, we may either pursue pleasure or pain. After all, we are provided with all the choices.

Pleasure is defined in many ways. The definitions that have been presented are interpretations of the hedonistic theories of well  being. If pleasure means logic, then pleasure is the result of the motives of our action. If pleasure means satisfaction, then pleasure means the maximum fulfillment of our desires.

The hedonistic theories of well  being does not seek pleasure constantly. Weve learned that if desire for more, we aspire for pleasure more and aspire for pain less. Our desire doesnt guarantee us of pleasure. Consequently, pleasure doesnt guarantee us of satisfaction. Hedonism doesnt provide a clear picture of what we desire, why we desire, and why should we desire.