DLC Blog

The Paradox of Hedonism

“How can I be happy?” This is a question that everyone must undoubtedly ask oneself at some point or another. In this brief blog entry, I will attempt to answer this question from a philosophical point of view.

Jeremy Bentham is often called the father of Utilitarianism. He believed that the right action is the one that brings about “the greatest happiness for the greatest number.” As was requested in his will, his body (pictured above) was embalmed and stored at University College London. He is occasionally brought out of storage for meetings of the Council. The roll for the meetings always lists him as “present but not voting.”

Often times the best way to find the correct answer to a question is to look at an incorrect response in order to see how we can learn from it. This would naturally lead us towards what philosophers often call the Paradox of Hedonism. Essentially, the Paradox of Hedonism says that a direct pursuit of happiness is self-defeating. Happiness here is simply equated with pleasure. If one chooses all of his/her actions based on the direct amount of pleasure that will come about, then he/she will ultimately end up miserable. Take a drug addict for example. He must constantly make a choice between using drugs and staying sober. The drug use brings him a great deal more pleasure (in the short run at least), but his choice to use drugs on a regular basis ultimately leaves him in a wretched state of being. This example can be extended to our day to day lives. I know that I often find myself faced with a choice between TV and homework. If I always chose TV, I would end up feeling lackadaisical and fundamentally unfulfilled.

Even if we don’t equate happiness with pleasure, a paradox still arises. If one aims directly at happiness, no matter how you define it, one will never get it. That’s just not how things work. Joel Feinberg, a great 20th century philosopher, explains this famous paradox in his 1985 book Reason and Responsibility. He does so with a brief thought experiment involving someone named Jones. Jones is man who almost totally devoid of interests. He has no intellectual curiosity, takes no pleasure in natural beauty, art, sports, dancing, conversation, romance, politics, religion, philanthropy, crafts, industry, or commerce. Jones’ only preoccupation in life is his own happiness. However, according to Feinberg, Jones is ultimately doomed in this arena because he has no means of attaining it. Feinberg maintains that the best way to find happiness is to forget about it. One must first aim at worthy goals that one has a sincere passion for. Happiness will most likely come as a byproduct of pursuing these passions.

In my life experiences, I have found some great truth in Feinberg’s words. There have been times when I have found myself in states of utter depression. I have learned that it does me no good lie in bed and utter a mantra of, “I want to be happy, I want to be happy, I want to be happy…” It is when I go out and pursue passions like travel, snowboarding, philosophy, foreign languages, literature, or friends that I find myself thinking to myself, “I am happy.”

Here are some links relating to paradoxes, hedonism, and the paradox of hedonism:
Paradox (Grollier Online - DLC Login required)
Hedonism (Grollier Online - DLC Login required)
Paradox of Hedonism
Paradoxi of Hedonism


Michael Lambert
Student Assistant

Posted by jdacuag at June 23, 2006 12:52 PM in Humanities.