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The paradox of hedonism free essays
Utilitarianism and hedonism
Utilitarianism and hedonism
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Just what is the purpose of existence? This question has been raised countless times by countless millions of people, wondering just what exactly they are here for. Some of those among us decide to make the study of that question their life's work, and spend many hours thinking, writing, and speaking about it. These specialists, philosophers, exist to give us some idea of why we continue to exist.
One school of philosophical thought holds that the only thing of any value whatsoever is pleasure, and that the purpose of existence is to experience as much pleasure as possible. This school of philosophical thought, called hedonism, is theoretically sound. All actions taken by human beings can be argued to have been performed because the performer discerned or imagined a tangible reward for performing the act. Hedonists hold that individuals should identify that which gives them pleasure, and act upon that knowledge to derive the maximum amount of pleasure possible from any situation. As sex is among the more powerful forms of pleasurable stimuli known to man, researchers among the biological, anthropological, and medical fields have endeavored to discover greater knowledge of human sexuality.
Sexual research is performed to provide accurate information to several audiences. The general public benefits from this research in that people develop a higher awareness of their own capacity for sexual fulfillment; they discover the extent to which their body and mind are geared to pleasure, and they learn how to exercise that capacity while minimizing the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Many people come to accept the feelings their bodies are capable of producing without feelings of guilt or shame. This is a significant event in my opinion, because I believe the path of ascension for the human race lies in self-awareness. Particularly among those cultures which are historically sexually repressive, the widespread dissemination of sexual information can bring about a very positive change in the way people feel about themselves.
Medical professionals, too, greatly benefit from the research of sexuality. Clinical research and scientific surveys give physicians more accurate data on the proper functioning of human sexual organs, allowing physicians to find more effective forms of contraception and disease prevention, and allowing more accurate diagnoses of potential problems. These more accurate diagnoses can lead to more effective treatments for sexual disorders.
Among the other major beneficiaries of sexual research are judiciary officials, who when given more accurate definitions of sexual deviancy and sexual criminality are better able to pronounce just sentencing.
His opening paragraph introduces the context for the Declaration. He goes on to list offenses by the King. Jefferson assures his audience that for every offense committed by the King, the colonists have presented a solution(s), only to be cast aside. Their last resort after failed negotiations is to declare themselves a free people. Jefferson was explicit in his Declaration of Independence, the colonists were not asking to be “totally dissolved” of union with the British Crown, they had already decided and were well on their way to constructing a new
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson appeals to patriotism. Jefferson ensures this by persuading the colonists to become self-governing. He tries to let all of the people of the New World understand that they have protested and defended themselves against the British for all of the corrupt acts the British have committed upon the colonists. Jefferson’s tone in the Declaration of Independence portrays how tiresome he has grown of the British rule after all of the deception towards Americans. Included within the idea of patriotism, is the idea of loyalty to the fundamental values and principles underlying American democracy. Thomas Paine also provides patriotism to get advocates for the movement to separate from the British forces. Correspondingly, Paine persuades Americans that they will prosper in numerous areas without the control of the British saying, “Is the power who is jealous of our prosperity, a proper power to govern us? Whoever says No to this question is an independent, for independency means no more, than, whether we shall make our own laws…” (Paine). Paine uses a demanding tone to convince Americans that if they should accept the ties with Britain, it will bring ruin and distress to the
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.
The scientific study of human sexual behavior conducted by Alfred Kinsey led to a sexual revolution. Globally, people were able to open up about the topic and use it as a source of information. “Kinsey” allowed the audience to obtain a better grasp about conducting scientific study and his personal life. Even though his research methods have been called upon question and controversy, he changed people’s lives.
Masters and Johnson were a pioneering team in the field of human sexuality, both in the domains of research and therapy. William Howell Masters, a gynecologist, was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1915. Virginia Eshelman Johnson, a psychologist, was born in Springfield, Montana in 1925. To fully appreciate their contribution, it is necessary to see their work in historic context. In 1948, Alfred C. Kinsey and his co-workers, responding to a request by female students at Indiana University for more information on human sexual behavior, published the book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. They followed this five years later with Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. These books began a revolution in social awareness of and public attention given to human sexuality. At the time, public morality severely restricted open discussion of sexuality as a human characteristic, and specific sexual practices, especially sexual behaviors that did not lead to procreation. Kinsey's books, which among other things reported findings on the frequency of various sexual practices including homosexuality, caused a furor. Some people felt that the study of sexual behavior would undermine the family structure and damage American society. It was in this climate - one of incipient efforts to break through the denial of human sexuality and considerable resistance to these efforts - that Masters and Johnson began their work. Their primary contribution has been to help define sexuality as a healthy human trait and the experience of great pleasure and deep intimacy during sex as socially acceptable goals. As a physician interested in the nature of sexuality and the sexual experience, William Masters wanted to conduct research that would lead to an objective understanding of these topics. In 1957, he hired Virgina Johnson as a research assistant to begin this research issue. Together they developed polygraph-like instruments that were designed to measure human sexual response. Using these tools, Masters and Johnson initiated a project that ultimately included direct laboratory observation and measurement of 700 men and women while they were having intercourse or masturbating. Based on the data collected in this study, they co-authored the book Human Sexual Response in 1966. In this book, they identify and describe four phases in the human sexual response cycle : excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. By this point in time, the generally repressive attitude toward sexuality was beginning to lift and the book found a ready audience.
However, the author 's interpretations of Jefferson 's decisions and their connection to modern politics are intriguing, to say the least. In 1774, Jefferson penned A Summary View of the Rights of British America and, later, in 1775, drafted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (Ellis 32-44). According to Ellis, the documents act as proof that Jefferson was insensitive to the constitutional complexities a Revolution held as his interpretation of otherwise important matters revolved around his “pattern of juvenile romanticism” (38). Evidently, the American colonies’ desire for independence from the mother country was a momentous decision that affected all thirteen colonies. However, in Ellis’ arguments, Thomas Jefferson’s writing at the time showed either his failure to acknowledge the severity of the situation or his disregard of the same. Accordingly, as written in the American Sphinx, Jefferson’s mannerisms in the first Continental Congress and Virginia evokes the picture of an adolescent instead of the thirty-year-old man he was at the time (Ellis 38). It is no wonder Ellis observes Thomas Jefferson as a founding father who was not only “wildly idealistic” but also possessed “extraordinary naivete” while advocating the notions of a Jeffersonian utopia that unrestrained
Many philosophers’ goals is to figure out if we do truly we exits and if we do why do we exist? Some agree that if we have the ability to question our existence then we must exist, or else we couldn’t question it. So once we have determined that we do in fact exist we must find out why we do. Is there a reason or a goal to our existence? Do the gods affect people on earth or care about as much as humans think? And what lies after death and should it be fears? Many Philosophes try and come to a conclusion, one of those was Epicurus.
Alfred Kinsey was an American Professor of biology and zoology at Indiana University. During his career he decided to shift his focus from studying gull wasps to that of human subjects. He embarked on a study of human sexual behavior by doing a series of interviews consisting of 18,000 people. The first installment of nine books was “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.” This 30 year project was anything but non-controversial especially with in the realm of the FBI and the United States government. As any breakthrough research goes through, there were positive and negative critiques of his study.
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
Smith, Karen. “Alcohol Use by youth and Adolescents: A Pediatric Concern.” Pediatric American Academy of Pediatrics. 12 April, 2010. Web. 26 March, 2014. .
Alcohol is the premier drug choice among many youths. A national survey found that slightly more than half of young adults in the United States between the ages of 12 and 20 have consumed alcohol at least once. A psychoactive drug that depresses the central nervous system, alcohol, like tobacco, affects both the mind and the body. It lowers the brain’s ability to control behavioral functions and impairs one’s ability to perform basic motor skills. In today’s society, it is not a surprise for young teens to consume alcohol before they have reached the legal drinking age of twenty-one. Due to this, it has become a leading health problem in the United States. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 4,358 people
''The best way of approaching philosophy is to ask a few philosophical questions: How was the world created? Is there any will or meaning behind what happens? Is there a life after death? How can we answer these questions? And most important, how ought we to live?'' (Gaarder, Jostein 15)
The initial study, implemented in 2005, surveyed thirty people, who proclaimed they have “great sex”; the initial finding of these thirty people found six different components of optimal sexuality. With their follow up study,
All in all, being aware and educated especially in terms of sex and sexuality creates more benefits for the individual and the country as a whole.