Hedonism consists of a moral doctrine where the search for pleasure it's the sole purpose of life.
The word hedonism comes from the Greek hedonikos, which means "pleasant", since hedon means pleasure. As a philosophy, hedonism arose in Greece and had Epicurus and Aristippus of Cyrene as some of the most important names.
This moral doctrine had its origin in the Cyrenaics (founded by Aristippus of Cyrene), ancient Epicureans. Hedonism determines that the supreme good, that is, the ultimate end of action, is pleasure. In this case, "pleasure" means something more than mere sensual pleasure. The English utilitarians (Bentham and Stuart Mill) were the continuators of ancient hedonism.
Hedonism is often confused with Epicureanism. However, there are some differences between them, and Epicurus created Epicureanism with the aim of perfecting hedonism. One of the goals of Epicureanism is the absence of pain, and that is why pleasure plays a more passive role, and the individual must renounce things that may cause pain and suffering. In the case of hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure is strongly advised, also taking into account sexual pleasures.
As hedonism addresses the excessive pursuit of pleasure as the most important purpose in life, many religions repudiate it, as it consists of a doctrine that clashes with the doctrine of many churches.
Ethical and psychological hedonism
Hedonism can be divided into two categories: ethical hedonism and psychological hedonism.
Psychological hedonism is based on the notion that in all actions, the human being intends to of getting more pleasure and less suffering, and this way of living is the only thing that fosters human action. On the other hand, ethical hedonism has as its principle the fact that men consider pleasure and material goods as the most important things in their lives.
