#hedonic calculus

[hedoniccalculus69]

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[emilynroses]

This is basically Hedonic Calculus, used in utilitarianism to calculate how much pleasure an act will be so you can compare it to another act and do which produces more pleasure. The higher you score, the more pleasure from the act

[lra3p-blog]

Hedonistic Calculus

Ah yes... one of my favorite lectures from my philosophy class.

Now it was basically outlined by Jeremy Bentham who as we know from history class or wherever was a social reformist that had a basis in utilitarianism. Utilitarianism could probably be better defined in some other scholar's paper specifically laying out the parameters of utilitarianism, but it simply meant to Jeremy that if an action or object is useful, it's good. How can we tell if it's useful? Why, because it makes you feeeeeeeeeeeel good.

Now commences the part of this idea that made it my favorite (and most remembered) lecture from philosophy.

The 'morality' and 'rightness' of an action is basically determined by the amount of pleasure <--now I know this is an eh type of word to use because it usually directs our brain to think of SEXSEXSEX but in this case, it appeals to all realms of 'happiness'. For example, if it makes us feel more confident, self-assured, secure, etc, then why the heck would we nott do it?

Now if we really wanted to figure out if the actual thing would make us feel good despite any consequences, the categories, as stated by Bentham are as follows:

"intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity (the chance that a pleasure is followed by other ones, a pain by further pains), purity (the chance that pleasure is followed by pains and vice versa), and extent (the number of persons affected)" (Mautner The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy).

Using those categories^ we figure out how our situation/action/object/dilemma sizes up in those categories, and if it is something we can live with and if it looks like its in favor more so than the consequences, we go through with it.To me, this method makes it easier to come to terms with decision-making. I know that it's in my nature to be hesitant because I have a tendency to observe both sides of the argument and become really confused over what I want in my life and what I don't want. So this applies ^_^

However since we are weak creatures that may give into our vices more often, the hedonistic calculus may serve our dark side a little more. Of course, Bentham intended for there to obviously be limits set in place when it came to making ourselves more content and with the highest possibility of happiness. He would not resort to finding pleasure to anything violent or that would induce bloodshed.

The core of what Jeremy Bentham's hedonistic calculus is basically, do what makes you content with yourself for the most amount of time which is the thing that would cause the least amount of regret and has the most truth and adherence to what you are and what you strive to be.