Like many of you, I took a break the past few weeks. Though not much was produced, it was far from unproductive. In fact, these times often yield many great ideas for current and future pursuits, and this break was no exception. During idea generation periods, it’s important to not discriminate where inspiration comes from; take it from somebody who obsessed over and was misled about this notion for many years. This week’s concept of the Hedonic Spectrum, for example, came from a summary of the book Decisions About Decisions.
The summary emphasized the distinction between instrumental and hedonic value, and how this distinction complicates decision making at macro and micro levels. After listening to the summary, I sought more information on hedonism. Seeking more information quickly took me down a philosophical rabbit hole before I arrived at the hedonic treadmill and, eventually, the self-invented Hedonic Spectrum.
What is Hedonism?
What is hedonism? And why did exploring it take me deeper than anticipated? Before I elaborate on the latter, let’s quickly address the former. Hedonism is a philosophical theory suggesting the pursuit of pleasure is the single greatest aim for humans. Within it, there are six accepted subcategories, and I’ll address shortly why there should be seven. To the latter, these subcategories are why it’s difficult to ubiquitously define hedonism.
Hedonism Subcategories
The six accepted subcategories are folk, prudential, motivational, normative, hedonistic utilitarianism, and hedonistic egoism. Hedonistic egoism is one extreme, suggesting it’s our moral duty to pursue the things which afford us the most pleasure, irrespective of their impact on the community. Hedonistic utilitarianism, by contrast, suggests it’s our moral duty to pursue the things which afford the community the most pleasure, irrespective of their impact on us.
These two subcategories are appropriate bookends, but there’s one subcategory that’s more extreme than hedonistic utilitarianism – asceticism, the removal of all pleasure from one’s life. Compared to hedonistic egoism, it’s extremely rare, largely associated with religious pursuits.
The Hedonic Treadmill
Our spectrum now defined, we can transition to the metaphoric hedonic treadmill. Psychologist Phillip Brickman and social scientist Donald T. Campbell coined the term in their 1971 essay Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society. The underlying notion is humans eventually return to a stable level of happiness regardless of degraded or improved circumstances.
Many of history’s great philosophical and religious schools including Buddhism, Confucianism, and Stoicism would argue countering this notion lies in pursuing immaterial possessions, particularly that of knowledge. Though immaterial pursuits such as community service, education, and perspective are virtuous, they are no less hedonistic than material pursuits often associated with the hedonic treadmill.
The Hedonic Spectrum
Hedonism centers around the pursuit of pleasure. This pursuit is not new. In fact, it has been biologically programmed into our existence long before we could ascribe words to it and even longer before 1970’s material possessions. Human existence is a continuous pain-pleasure feedback loop. We could debate semantics of those two ‘p’ words all day, which the great philosophers did. But that world, like most of the Parthenon, is gone. Today, we have empirical science underpinning these ancient philosophies, the evidence of which supports our inherent hedonistic nature both in the pursuit of material and immaterial pleasures.
Enter the Hedonic Spectrum. The logic behind creating the spectrum is two-fold. One is to objectively define hedonism as an inherent, unavoidable trait of human nature, thereby neutralizing its typical negative connotation. The second is to define levels of hedonism such that one is able to identify when he or she is approaching an unsustainable state.
Pursuing pleasure in different areas of life is absolutely necessary, but so is the understanding we are expending limited resources during these pursuits, and that eventually even the most noble will feel hollow. At these moments of emptiness, it’s imperative we pursue other areas of life. It is these changes that continue to invigorate us with the most foundational sensations of pain and pleasure. Without them, we would cease to be human.
Be More.
Become Polymathic.
Quote of the Week: “Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future ones.“ – Seneca