When establishing whether or not the idea of disinterested pleasure is plausible it is important to determine whether or not the phrase is an oxymoron. An oxymoron is a phrase or idea where contradictory terms or words are used together (Oxford Dictionaries 2016, Oxymoron). Therefore, if an oxymoron were present in a philosophical idea then this would be problematic as the idea would most likely be make little sense and be fallacious. There is little consensus about whether disinterested pleasure is an oxymoron. Therefore, it is important to discuss the different interpretations of the meaning of the idea, and whether these interpretations are oxymoronic. Then, through the use of examples, it will be determined whether the true meaning of disinterested pleasure is an oxymoron. …show more content…
63). Immanuel Kant’s version of disinterested pleasure argues that the pleasure one gains from viewing an artwork is not dependent on any desire the viewer may have, and is therefore only derived from the work itself (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2013). In this version, ‘interested’ means to view an object or artwork with a motive for one’s sensory (such as eating or drinking) or practical (such as using an object to fulfil a moral duty) desire to be fulfilled (Brady 1998, p. 100). This version can hardly be considered an oxymoron because disinterested pleasure does occur in everyday life. For example, suppose an individual were to walk into their friend’s house for the first time and, upon noticing a painting, has a feeling of utter happiness and pleasure because they believe the painting is beautiful. In this example, the individual is clearly feeling disinterested pleasure, as they did not intend to view the painting for any purpose, and only gained pleasure from viewing
... the Misfit is open to receive grace. Although the Misfit claimed that there is “no pleasure, but meanness” in life, at the end, he denies that there is any pleasure in life at all and that killing has failed to bring him happiness. Therefore, when his two partners return and reminding the Misfit of how fun is to kill, the Misfit shuts them up and says “it’s no real pleasure in life”.
As humans we are constantly in search of understanding the balance between what feels good and what is right. Humans try to take full advantage of experiencing pleasure to its fullest potential. Hedonism claims that pleasure is the highest and only source of essential significance. If the notion of hedonism is truthful, happiness is directly correlated with pleasure. Robert Nozick presented the philosophical world with his though experiment, “The Experience Machine” in order to dispute the existence and validity of hedonism. Nozick’s thought experiment poses the question of whether or not humans would plug into a machine which produces any desired experience. Nozick weakens the notion of hedonism through his thought experiment, claiming humans need more than just pleasure in their lives. Nozick discovers that humans would not hook up to this machine because they would not fully develop as a person and consider it a form of suicide.
With any form of hedonism, one is committed to the concept that pleasure is the chief good. In an extremely generic form of hedonism, it seems as though the quality of sensual pleasure should be given no more weight than the quality of emotional pleasure and vice versa. Additionally, this sort of hedonism would hold that the acquisition of kinetic pleasures would increase overall pleasure to seemingly no end, a concept which Epicurus’ doctrine would reject. Even if we understand death to be a genuine ceasing to exist, we must conjecture that it is bad for a person to die in the sense that it terminates even the possibility to acquire more pleasure. Under this concept of hedonism, we must agree that a person who lives a pleasurable life for ...
The second argument offered is that the more real something is, the more pleasure it can give. According to the Divided Line, knowledge is more rea...
Delany, Samuel. "Aversion/Perversion/Diversion." Longer Views: Extended Essays. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 1996
In this paper I will be looking at Goldman’s definition of sexual desire and discussing why it may be too broad of a definition. I will also suggest ways in which Goldman’s definition could be improved with a little specificity.
desires can be engaged without reason. Their thoughts are consumed by their desires for the
...er pleasure later. However, this opinion does not account for actions excluding one’s appetite taken at the end (or even causing the end) of one’s life, like in giving one’s life for that of a loved one. In that case, the person would be intentionally forgoing passion forever in search of something else. Hume’s argument does not make provision for this. In fact, the only objection one could make to this last example is to say that a man who gives his life for his friend has a miseducated or depraved soul, yet no one seems to make this argument.
Does delayed gratification truly affect our success in life? In today’s society, we now live in a hyper connected world where we can do virtually anything all with the click of a button. We constantly strive to become faster and achieve better, but to what effect will delayed gratification have on our success in life? Mischel’s “The Marshmallow Test,” and Berger’s “The Invitation to the Lifespan,” have come to a similar conclusion that not only does delaying gratification in children and adolescents lead to the development of emotional control and can have long term effects in life, but it can also be taught. Although, I have not completed a delayed gratification experiment myself, based on personal experiences, I definitely agree with all
Phillips, Adam. 2011. "Othello on Satisfaction." Raritan 31, no. 1: 50-69. America: History and Life with Full Text, EBSCOhost.
“There is no such thing as pure pleasure; some anxiety always goes with it”- Ovid
Utopians make a distinction between true and counterfeit pleasure. True pleasure involves any movement of body or mind in which a person takes a natural delight, such as reflecting on true knowledge, eating well, or exercising. Counterfeit pleasures are those sensations that are not naturally delightful, but that distorted desires have tricked people into believing they pleasurable.
Weijers, Dan. "Hedonism." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. .
(A) The sexual and aggressive drives are primary; a drive is not a behavior, only biological impulses. (B) Darwin argued that reproductive success is the key to survival and evolution, so natural selection is wholly based on sexual gratification.
When talking about pleasure there needs to be a distinction between the quality and the quantity. While having many different kinds of pleasures can be considered a good thing, one is more likely to favor quality over quantity. With this distinction in mind, one is more able to quantify their pleasures as higher or lesser pleasures by ascertaining the quality of them. This facilitates the ability to achieve the fundamental moral value that is happiness. In his book Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill offers a defining of utility as pleasure or the absence of pain in addition to the Utility Principle, where “Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Mill 7). Through this principle, Mill emphasizes that it is not enough to show that happiness is an end in itself. Mill’s hedonistic view is one in support of the claim that every human action is motivated by or ought to be motivated by the pursuit of pleasure.