A Philosophical reason for modern, ethical pleasure-seeking.
Photo by Janko Ferlič on UnsplashSo you’ve accepted that life has no inherent meaning. No predetermined purpose. No god-given mission. Now what?
If you’ve ever read a text of existentialist philosophy, you’ve been confronted with the central theme that “nothing really matters” — in a good way. Existentialist philosophers assert that this is the case and, depending on your own philosophical beliefs, you might tend to agree.
I certainly do. However, even though I concur with this assertion, I still often wonder: “Ok, but…now what?”
How can one simply return to the absurd and senseless routines of life, knowing that it’s all for nothing? What are we supposed to do instead? What makes life worth living?
One could argue that, if every individual is truly free to shape their own life, then they would want to live a life filled with maximum pleasure and minimum pain. That, my friends, is the basic idea behind hedonism.
Hedonism has many naughty connotations attached to it. Images of lustful and sticky Bacchanalia might come to mind. But there is a gentler, more ethical, and definitely less messy approach to hedonism.
Much like contemporary French philosopher Michel Onfray (and Epicurus to an extent), I believe that there is a place for hedonism in modernity, and it doesn’t take the form of insane Dionysian celebrations. A hedonism for daily life looks more like the full and total enjoyment of aesthetics and beauty, like that provided by art, music, gastronomy, literature etc. Modern hedonism can be an intellectual and bodily exploration to achieve and give pleasure without causing any harm.
Curious? Let’s dive in.
Pleasure-seeking and Philosophy
Before we get to the good stuff, a little philosophical detour into why the gap left by the inherent meaninglessness of life (i.e. the Absurd) is primed to be filled with the joys of aesthetic pleasures.
In a way, basic principles of hedonism and those of existentialism — at least the kind of existentialism touted by the French — have a lot in common.
In The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus starts with a simple premise: Since we have established that life has no meaning, there are only two paths that one can take. Either we accept this nothingness and create our own meaning and fulfilment, or we commit suicide.
Now, German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer was one of those pessimistic types and would probably choose the latter of those two options. His whole thing was that since we know that life is meaningless, purposeless, and just a long, drawn out experience of misery and suffering, what’s the point of even going on? What justifies life?
Here is where fellow German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche comes in. Although he wasn’t in denial of the “terrible existential truths” outlined by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche did see value in life as an aesthetic phenomenon. Basically, Nietzsche believed that art and beauty not only help us make sense of our existence, but that these things also give us a reason to live.
“Art is the great stimulus to life,” Nietzsche wrote in Twilight of the Idols. And “We have art in order not to die of the truth,” he wrote in an unpublished text — the “truth” being the meaninglessness of human existence as uncovered by existentialist philosophy.
Nietzsche was by no means in favour of old school hedonism. But he did believe that truly enjoying art, beauty and culture was enough (and maybe even the only thing) to justify the pain of our own existence. The man himself greatly enjoyed music, writing in Twilight of the Idols: “What trifles constitute happiness! The sound of a bagpipe. Without music life would be a mistake.”
What Is “Pleasure”?
What is pleasure in a meaningful, philosophical sense? The word does a lot of heavy lifting in the department of sex and other physical amusements, and that’s probably where hedonism got its bad reputation. Guilty by association.
Here again let’s look to philosophy. Albert Camus passionately enjoyed football and long summer days on the beach. Nietzsche, as mentioned, was a great lover of music and Ralph Waldo Emerson valued the glorious beauty of nature.
So let’s abandon this exclusively filthy idea of pleasure and look at it this way: Pleasure is something good for the mind and body and for your overall quality of life. In French, it’s the untranslatable joie de vivre — taking immense pleasure in life. Because, as existentialism has established, what else is there but nothingness? Might as well choose to enjoy ourselves consciously to the fullest.
In this sense, then, pleasure can indeed be found in sensual, but also in aesthetic and in some cases materialistic beauty. A classical music concert in your favourite opera house on a weekday. Reading from the canons of great literature for an entire day or going to a museum with a new lover. A delicious meal in a starred restaurant. A slow Sunday morning in bed listening to the birds outside. Long walks with the dog. A liberating kiss in the rain. An expensive cheese paired with a good bottle of wine.
Modern Hedonism Means Living Without Shame
On the surface, it’s a very simple idea. But in practice, it’s more difficult than one might think.
Modern society has drilled a whole set of inhibitions and feelings of shame and guilt into our brains that make it hard for us to enjoy ourselves in the truest, purest sense of the word.
As already outlined above, a modern hedonist might find pleasure in many different ways, depending on their particular interests. Perhaps they enjoy kinky sex. They order a ten-course meal and savour every bite. Maybe they go clubbing every night (pre-corona, of course). They might spend two hours in the bath just because they love the scent of expensive lavender bath oil.
The absolute key, though, to actually enjoying life and living hedonistically is to live without fear. To indulge (without causing intentional harm to yourself or others) and giving your mind and body what it wants without guilt. Without gluttony. Without shame or self-disgust. Without doubt.
Even with modern, ethical hedonism, the highest goal is to achieve pleasure and reduce pain in one’s life. As long as you are good to yourself and (morally, consensually) good to others, if you seek to have and bestow joy, then you’re doing it right.
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