In the end, happiness is all that matters. Quick thanks to Morning Brew for keeping me up to date on reality and sponsoring this video! Sign up for free here: cen.yt/mbaperture4
I agree. Whatever makes you happy. I’ve been listening to a lot of the Beatles “hippie” era songs. All you need is love. (Im assuming people know not to hurt others in their pursuit of happiness.) 😊
Enjoying the feeling of lying on the bed after a long day or having a cup of warm coffee on a cold morning or having a relaxing shower or maybe even just hearing the sound of breathing is a true gift
Ah nice. I had a double penetration some days ago, but sure some coffee and some rest are as good as it. Enjoy your exciting life, I'm so jealous of you.
What matters, as with all things in life, is BALANCE. Don't drink water = you die Only drink water = you die Extremism, whether physical, philosophical, or political, is pure poison. Aperture videos never disappoint. Great job!
yes. but balance sometimes is hard because it requires consistent self regulation amd can sometimes lead to boredom. its fascinating to see how the mind and body have become flexible and adaptable to circumstances. the mind has a tendency to become desynthesized even to the most unbearable hardship and that's when one can become a hero or a villain or lead to destruction depending upon the mind's self organizing judgment. thus extremism is not negative in its entirety but can be flipped into positive outcome.
Working hard to enjoy life after you are 60 is one of the dumbest and saddest thing about our society as it is today. Sometimes I travel and am the only young person among elderly (on a touristy destination or activity). It really is sad. Everything is better when you are young.
@@admiralackbar4652 We all must die. You want to enjoy, then die, or suffer, then die ? Its all up to you. No one can tell you what to choose. May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.
For you it might be but, happiness is subjective so you can't say that's true for everyone, that may be your opinion on the best way to have the most overall happiness in life but for someone else that might be hell.
@@JTGwin10 happiness is subjective but for most people either sacrificing the future or sacrificing the present is too much of an extreme. By balancing both you have the ability to appreciate and enjoy what you have currently and what you will have in the future, rather than just throwing everything away everything you currently have in pursuit for pleasure or overworking yourself to death to achieve future happiness rhat may not be obtainable if you die before retirement. Happiness is sustained pleasure. By placing importance and considering both your present and future pleasure, you are sustaining your pleasure and thus maintaining happiness. By choosing to indulge in pleasure only in the present or solely in the future, that is not sustaining pleasure and you will only be happy for a limited duration od time
I have disciplined myself to never be happy until I attain success. In our modern society, you need to be high on the hierarchy to be happy. Average people don't live as well as you think they do.
This dude gives the best advice... Calm voice, truth telling, and most importantly, making good points... Thanks for all the time you had to put in 🙏🙏🤧🤧🤧
My daddy called me a hedonist when I was 17. I now wish I would have said, “well at least you don’t have to worry about me joining a cult”. 😂 Motto is: work hard, play hard. I do work hard, because the “play” part usually requires money.
Your dad? I'm not used to people referring to their dad's as daddy lmao, it's too bad the term has been so heavily sexualised that it feel odd hearing an adult/adolescent refer to their dad as daddy
If you think carefully, it's is kind of true that we as humans do everything for "gaining" something. So yes, kind of true that we're all little bit hedonistic at our core. Some of us just choose to believe otherwise while some go overboard and all in on hedonistic tendencies
That is true. Even when you give something to someone in need, when they smile and say thanks, it makes you feel good. I do handle all of my moral and financial responsibilities, but I don’t deny embracing my hedonistic side. There just has to be a balance. I have said on here “Work Hard/Play Hard” (work first). And my kids after they’re grown, I’ll help if they are doing best they can. If they spend all of their money on beer and don’t have electricity….hmmm. Ill pay get some candles.
Some people also have values and systems of morality which would act as compasses that lead them to certain actions - whether it makes them feel good or not. That was a key point in the video. For example, there are certain things I believe in, that I try to live by, whether or not my biology, urges, or societal role tries to sway me into different directions - admittedly, a difficult task at times, but in the end I know i will feel good about living through my own standards.
"Lust for possession and greed has ravaged the soul of humanity like a great cancer, metastasizing throughout society in the form of consumer hedonism.” ― Bryant McGill
@@sfvaitkus buying things? Well I enjoy using things I buy. But a new PC and having high end GPU? Enjoyment of gaming experience. Meeting a woman, liking her, having sex and a good time? Pleasure. Going for a walk? Breathing? Hot shower? Hot coffee/tea? Feeling after a workout? Food? Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure.
The balance of pain and pleasure gives us the ability to enjoy our highest high’s but exposes us to our lowest falls. Life is an elastic journey towards finding a balance between what we need to do and what we desire to do. Another great vid Aperture!
All Humans need to repent & Believe in Jesus as their God. Why? Because all Humans have sinned (lied, lusted sexually, stolen, dishonoured parents etc). Avoid the fires of Hell (justice of God) and choose Heaven today. Jesus defeated death by rising from the dead. GOD IS HOLY
You know this dude had the best research paper in college. The depth of his explanation, transition and connection to the modern world. Your fucking awesome. You encourage me to seek new knowledge everyday.
@@whirlwind872 seek the knowledge to stop nitpicking things on the internet. for all you know, this person could be a non native speaker and even if not, it’s not that big of a deal
I've been watching this channel for several years now I just wanna tell you man your production quality is great Thank You for all the quality content Wish you all the happiness in the world
“What some people regard as an expression of freedom is actually that of slavery.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana Edit: As a small channel that no one cares about, really appreciate the love 😂 Visual Venture. ❤️
Waking up on my homestead to the rooster crowing and the birds singing..and tending to my plants and animals and family as I work my way through the day is the most fulfilling thing to me, everytime I see a butterfly up close or a hummingbird enjoying my flowers 💐.. or a deer and it's fawn 😻😻 I feel such a sense of happiness that I get to be so close to all this life... my goat gave birth to 2 kids in February during a snow storm -and one of the kids was rejected and so I got to bring him inside and raise him for a few weeks- little experiences like this I just love and feel so lucky to get to experience... I wanna stay here forever 🙏🤍🤍 Love your videos 🤍
@@nvmffs lol the legality of drugs is completely irrelevant to anything, drugs are easily accessible today regardless of their legality, and regardless of the legality of drugs back in his day aristippus would not have had things like social media/TV/Netflix which are engineered to systematically provide the maximum possible amount of instant gratification.
@@whirlwind872 It's capitalism at work. If we want to evolve as a species we gotta learn to control these impulses. Beat the system that's designed for Control.
@@uhhjays6629 unfortunately it is for this very reason our species is doomed. We are biologically incapable of overcoming it for anything more than brief isolated instances. Most of the time we're being controlled we're not even aware of it. And those who wish to be in control have nearly limitless energy and resources to wage war on us. Meanwhile we have limited time and energy to defend ourselves from all the attackers coming at us from every angle trying to take advantage of us for their profit. We all have too much shit to worry about in our own lives to be able to fight constantly. Meanwhile large corporations entire existence is reliant upon the fight. It is their very purpose. They will sink limitless amounts of money into augmenting their systems of control, as control is their primary means of profit. The problem fundamentally is that we as humans are torn between being individuals and being members of a society. We're not loners like tigers. But we're also not eusocial like ants. We are therefore not very good at living in a society, especially large scale ones. We're not fit for the environment we live in. We didn't evolve for this, and it shows. We evolved to hunt mammoths and build fires and hunt and gather in small tribes. Not to live in a global society like we have in many ways today. Our current situation is unsustainable, something will break eventually. The outcome will compute itself, there's no way for us to predict it ahead of it happening. But I do wonder when and how the bubble will pop.
I have been subconsciously following hedonism. I constantly only do things if I know I get something pleasurable out of it. I love this life style. I don’t care if I’m lacking for sight. I am living like it’s the last day im on earth.
Pleasure is not limited to leisure You can take pleasure of solving a problem, creating something, serving someone that you love, observer nature, doing sport, etc
@@noprobliem23 you misread brother, hedonism actually made me unhappy. Practicing stoicism has brought me growth, balance, and discipline and has allowed me to conquer a couple of my personal demons...I wish you all the same in your personal journeys.
@@NYvandal OHHH!! my bad, thanks for correcting me. Btw wish you all the best as well, and honestly stoicism teaches me alot LOT, but sometimes i might fell down deep and its kinda messes me up, prolly need to learn on how to escape that hole
Yup The most responsible ingredient to our universe (thermodynamics) is constantly finding balance and one day the universe will reach equilibrium and that will be the day our universe vacuums to a singularity and restart all over again Everything we know is balanced or reach balance it’s just the law and order of our universe Fucking amazing
The pursuit of happiness for oneself and others is the highest form of existence. The pursuit of happiness at the expense of others is the lowest form of existence.
Great video! Love all your videos! I used to be a Hedonist, though I didn't have a label for it, chasing happiness in the moment and avoiding pain. As I've gotten older I've noticed that life is balanced; equal pain, equal pleasure regardless of what I do. I now appreciate the pain in a strange way for the perspective it puts on the things I find good- I couldn't enjoy anything without knowing pain. I spent a long time looking only for happiness, it kind of feels like I was chasing my tail now. That's just me though, it could be different for others- I hope it is.
I believe me or you don’t understand what hedonism is. Pushing away the negative only makes it more hedonism how I see it is making feeling good the goal at all time but sometimes you can’t so you let go of your wishes. I do t think you can control whether you’re happy or sad you can only accept it
Interesting thing about hedonism is a lot of times, things that seem like arguments against it actually use the basic principles of it without realizing. For example, if you seek a balance of pleasure and pain because the pain makes the pleasure more enjoyable, that's still advocating hedonism. The end goal is still to have more pleasurable experiences in your life.
Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain is an inbuilt automatic mechanism in all life forms, it is inescapable. Epicurus was right about this, and about letting go mentally of things, because this is the only true attitude to life that saves you from suffering of things which have nothing to do with you from the first place.
I have certain things I focus on daily that give me pleasure, I still work for tomorrow but I always make sure to stop and take a deep breath outside, staring off at distant things, watching animals, listening to birds, keeping up with game news, listen to the water run in my pool and many other small things. This keeps me in the present while not distracting me from the idea of a better life.
I think we were put here to experience pleasure. It's why bad things happen and our negative emotions are so powerful, so the pleasure of love, family, sex, comfort, nature etc is an incredible feeling. I don't think the way the world is today was ever the original intentions of whoever/whatever put us here.
As older i get, the more i value this. I'm 24 and the past 4 years i evolved to a different human. I'm the same, but much better. I always thought, if i just had the right job and never stop grinding, then I'm happy...but i wasn't. I worked 60 hours a week 2 years ago, but I payed with bot having time for my friends and family or myself. I was looking sick and i was feeling sick and got kicked out of the company because of COVID-19. Right now, i have everything that i need and i feel very good, but i think i can improve even more. What if, those moments with my friends...where we sit around the fire and talk hours about deep shit and just enjoy the now...what if THAT is truly the thing that makes me happy? 2022 i want to sit back and try to enjoy the show. Say thank you and appreciate what i got. Getting calm...getting centred...i think deep down the ability for those values, can bring you something that not a lot of humans will ever reach and I'm sure at the end of this journey i will be better than ever before.
It's all about moderation. Too much of anything can become poison. Keep moving, and seek pleasure in the small moments of life as you go through your day, and you should be good.
All of these other things you described can be a source of pleasure too imo, even religious experience. It's just not implied, it depends on the mind creating the experience. There's certainly some of us who think they have to suffer and that's just how earth is. Thank you for making me aware of that, great video.
We suffer today for the pleasure of tommorow, but tommorow, you’ll suffer for the pleasure of after tommorow, etc. The idea of hedonism is that if you keep focusing on things to do, you’ll never be happy
It is...a pleasure to see someone speaking of Epicurus' words on selfless acts still being acts of pleasure to one's self. It gets some people to get off their high horse after they feel good about doing "selfless acts" thinking that they are better than others for acting "generous".
This video came at a surprisingly amazing time! I have always had this state of mind with a mixture of miscellaneous stuff for quite some time before I ever heard and could grasp the concept of Hedonism. So pretty much this has confirmed and eased all the worries I have been having lately. Also all the points within these video are just really cool and like every time I watch a video like this my perspective o things sorta change forever, in a good way. So uhh, awesome job on this!
What's pleasurable is a subjective topic. In a way, everyone does what's pleasurable to them. Some like to work while others like to party. Some do both.
Stupid enough to enjoy the life, wise enough to avoid the mistakes of stupidity. That's what an ideal life looks like, a perfect balance between these two.
“The problem with pleasure is that it needs to be intermittent in order to retain its pleasantness.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana Edit: As a small channel that no one cares about, really appreciate the love 😂 Visual Venture. ❤️
@@levishhunted7593 Nahhhh a little bit of suffering to achieve something would be 100x better than immense suffering just to achieve the same thing. Too much suffering makes happiness pointless
The subject of happiness and selflessness reminded me of something I read once on the subject of heaven and hell. They said that if heaven is a place where everyone is happy and there is no suffering, then heaven and hell couldn't exist simultaneously, because a good person could never be happy in heaven knowing that so many people are suffering in hell.
your videos always leave a special feeling and i feel like i know more in general and i should take everything for granted, thank you and i hope you get the recognition you deserve for your amazing videos :)
As someone who studied Epicureanism quite a bit and associated with the school, I'd like to point out some things you unfortunately got wrong in this video. 3:00 "This opposition combined with the rise of Christianity in ancient Greece at the time, meant that this extremely rash idea of hedonism died with Aristippus. Many years later Epicurus redefined what hedonism was." Epicureanism came before Christianity, Epicurus founded his school in Athens named "The Garden" in 306 BC. Although the school was actually quite popular and successful, many have thought of Epicureans as vain pleasure seekers that probably got drunk all day, filled themselves with food and so on. Basically hedonism as is colloquially understood. This was of course, a huge misinterpretation, although there were some who intentionally framed them as such. 3:33 "For Epicurus pleasure was a state of tranquility" This is actually a very common misconception of Epicurean thought. Epicurus believed a state of tranquility is what's necessary for a life of pleasure, when you have that covered you can acquire the "greatest magnitude of pleasure" (Principal Doctrine 3). In his letter to Menoceus, Epicurus says "Pleasure is our first good. It is the starting point of every choice and every aversion." It is incorrect to think of Epicureanism as some kind of ascetic way of life, in fact Epicurus himself says "There is also a limit to simple living, and he who fails to understand this falls into error as great as that of the man who lives in extravagance." (Vatican Saying 63) Here is how a non-Epicurean, Cicero, describes the Epicurean goal when describing an Epicurean he's adressing "He added that these same men were quite right in saying that the wise do everything for their own interests; that no sane man should engage in public affairs; that nothing was preferable to a life of tranquility crammed full of pleasures." (In Defense of Publius Sestius 10.23) Does it sound like tranquility is the *end goal* here? There is much more on this topic of the "tranquility model" you can find out abt 4:45 "What about selfless acts? [...] In Hedonistic ideas, it's simply because those things make people feel heroic." Although I'm sure some Hedonists hold this view, most argue for this quite differently. The argument goes that when we see our fellow man in pain it causes us displeasure so we feel inclined to help them, and we should do so, for treating each other justly will make all of us live a more pleasant life. 5:55 "What do we make of meaning in life, achieving great things, long lasting relationships...?" Epicureans thought of such things as necessary to living a pleasant life. In fact, concerning relationships, Epicurus thought having valuable friend was so important to live happily that you simply couldn't live a good life without good friends. He invited his closest friends to live with him in his school, they lived together self sufficiently. The reason hedonists argue these things are good because they cause pleasure is because they define pleasure as intrinsically good. This means that pleasure is something that's strived for the sake of pleasure itself. You want friends because it makes you happy gives you pleasure yet you don't want pleasure for something else. 6:35 "The people who benefit from the wrong will never fight against it" Epicurus answers this by saying "It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly, and it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living pleasantly. Whenever any one of these is lacking, when, for instance, the person is not able to live wisely, though he lives well and justly, it is impossible for him to live a pleasant life." (Principal Doctrine 5) and "It is impossible for the person who secretly violates any article of the social compact to feel confident that he will remain undiscovered, even if he has already escaped ten thousand times; for right on to the end of his life he is never sure he will not be detected." (Principal Doctrine 35) Although hedonists reject the idea that selflessness exists those such as the Epicureans argue you should act in the manner many would call "altruistic" even if it's done for pleasure because the greatest pleasure is in virtuous living. 7:18 "If pleasure is the ultimate goal it shouldn't matter if that pleasure is real or imagined" Epicureans will respond to this by saying "It is not the pretense but the real pursuit of philosophy that is needed; for we do not need the semblance of health but rather true health." (Vatican Sayings 54)
I'm not so quick to reject a "pleasure giving machine." It's an interesting thought experiment. I could have my brain put in a jar and have all my senses triggered to provide wonderful experiences, I struggle to see why I wouldn't want that. Maybe pain and sadness strengthen our character, but my hunch is that I would manage ok without them.
Spend a long enough time in such a machine and your brain will become habituated to pleasure. That in itself might not be such a bad thing however it just goes to show that what we do/think (in repetition over a long period of time) we become. If humans have some sort of an inner moral compass (a jiminy cricket of conscientiousness of sorts) then it's a rather scary thought that such a thing could be overwritten at any time by simple repetitious behaviors.
I would also give it a thought as what is thought as peak pleasure or that dopamine hit is not peak always.......if the experience is experienced it would set a new level for the pursuit which would be be worth it rather than following the norm
Exactly, I feel the thought experiment was shrouded in his own biases. Maybe he was a big critic of hedonism. The option for forever pleasure giving machine is a simulation. As opposed to the real world. In essence, people were probably choosing between living in a simulation vs real world, irrespective of the living conditions. Also, it's a very vague term which is quite difficult to comprehend. Moreover, who were they study group? I highly doubt that not a single person would went for it pleasure machine, given the amount of misery in the world.
Because even a bad experience can be worth the experience. Life looses most of its complexity if you take away everything but pleasure. To live a life at its fullest, suffering, hard work, pain, boredom etc. are necessary inconveniences.
If you experienced nothing but pleasure, eventually you would become accustomed to it, and if it abated or decreased at any moment, you would consider that lack of pleasure ‘pain’. The neverending pleasure would now be commonplace and therefore the new ‘normal’ to you, and you, becoming dissatisfied again, would focus more and more on the ‘pain’ you are aware you can sometimes experience, leading into the same exact situation you consider yourself in now. You have to strengthen your own ability to focus upon and appreciate *what you can* in every moment: you have to be your OWN pleasure giving machine. The curator of your own life experience. We each have to take responsibility for ourselves and stop blaming the world: which is varied because we are varied and each want uniquely from all that is, or each other. We alone are responsible for focusing upon what in the world, we prefer, and just enjoying that. If we focus upon what we don’t, it is us ourselves choosing to inflict our own pain and suffering.
man, I stumbled upon your videos a week ago and I must say that they're really well balanced, not too long, great diction, topics. You have attention for detail, and that gives an outstanding quality to your videos. I do get pleasure from watching them haha
Wth! This is the philosophy I was following unknowingly. Like, I don't say do everything that makes you feel happy, but find happiness in all the things you do.
Hedonism, humans are destined to be hedonistic, we can all try, but at the end of the day, we're all chasing the same thing, satisfaction, and pleasure. Better accept that sooner then later.
What makes unlimited pleasure bad? Nothing. If we were given a chance to live in a reality which only gives us pleasure, why wouldn't anyone go for it?
Why not both enjoy the moment and pay attention to the consequences as well? This way you do not have to crash into something while trying to accelerate in life.
it's always adorable to hear someone speak on Hedonism when they clearly only recently discovered it. "congratulations, you're a decade or two late. but better late then never. here's a list of books to read" source: am Hedonist.
Agreed. He implicitly accepted Aristippus' definition of hedonism as the one that all hedonists accept, and so his arguments against Epicurus really only address Aristippus.
Do you need to read to read a book on hedonism? I’ve never read one, and I’ve never had an issue understanding it. I would prefer pleasure over pain. Who wouldn’t? Well, the girl who made the comment t about not being “too happy” or the quote about “intermittent pleasure”. And we also work, pay taxes, take care of our responsibilities, etc. I’ve been a therapist for 35 years. I’ve always wondered why people care so much about how you choose to live your life, if you aren’t hurting anyone else? 😊
@@sfvaitkus for most smart people it's a given they'll run through the modern thought processes and work out half the things those ancient thinkers did *on their own* , and come to understand hedonism not just as some popular media likes to show it. but that's not a given for everyone so i find myself often having to recommend a book. altho these days i switched to recommending one or two short youtube videos on the topic, while reminding them that hedonism isn't I- / a-moral usually, and most hedonists tend to include love and generally moral acts in their lists of "more pleasurable things". hell, when i get to talking with most of them they'll eventually admit that they're at least part hedonist themselves. It isn't all orgies and seducing that engaged girl. usually it's neither. It's " 'finding meaning' in pleasure"
Ultimately, it boils down to balance. Too much of anything is bad. Work too hard and you won't get time to appreciate the present. Play too much and it'll bite you in the back and cause more pain in the long run
Would it be pleasurable? no? then it's not hedonistic. simple. A true hedonistic situation would be eating whatever food would maximize you pleasure by eating it at your current state.
It can be argued that the seemingly altruistic acts done by so many are actually selfish acts in and of themselves. Even if the actor never seeks recognition nor speaks a word of it, even if they don't realize it themselves, the act of helping others makes us feel better. So our actual motivation for being selfless is selfishness. The thought experiment is extremely flawed because you are telling these people what the choices are, the only way to get an objective answer would be to somehow have them experience both without knowing what either is, don't tell them what's real and whats not, then let them decide. I think the results would be overwhelmingly different. Every choice has good and bad feelings involved, the presence of "pain", like with the kid going to college, is what makes the pleasure seem that much better. So choose to stay home or leave for college, each is pursuing what they think will be the most pleasurable or least painful. Just because a choice can cause you pain as well as pleasure doesn't mean the pleasure didn't win out in the end. Also your argument that no one would go against bad things in society if they benefit from it makes the assumption that that individual gets more pleasure from said benefit than the high that comes with helping people. I am not a hedonist but every one of these points can be torn apart with ease. "The best memories are the ones with pleasure and pain" says who? My best memories aren't that way at all. Sure I have some that are mixed and are great memories, but my best memories are the ones that seem like I had the "perfect day" . This is a weak argument from start to finish, making assumptions about all of humanity that just aren't accurate and can't be known. At the end, your description of all the little things you can do to seek pleasure can be considered a hedonistic lifestyle or point of view, it depends on that individual. Also pursuing pleasure doesn't mean you'll get it. On some level, maybe they do have a point, everything we do brings us some level of satisfaction if successful. Lastly, every example you put forth as the opposite of seeking pleasure ended up having pleasure as it's reward which doesn't change anything other than the type of pleasure you are pursuing. Pleasure is subjective. You think that people that love pain during sexual acts actually enjoy the pain or do they derive pleasure from it? Ultimately there is the person you show the world, the person you show a select few, the person you are when you are alone, and the real you is the last person that you don't even know, you can never say with any surety what motivates you because we don't know who we are at our core, it's not possible to know given our current understanding and may never be possible, your subconscious mind is in charge of everything, you're just along for the ride.
Even if being kind to others is done out of selfishness it doesn’t matter to the person on the receiving end. Say a guy donates a ton of money to a charity to make himself look good. It doesn’t matter to the people in need who benefited from it.
@@fwoop4848 Yes i agree it's rad to help people, and it can actually have a good impact on their lives, but none of that proves how giving them help can't still easily be considered a hedonistic act, as you do it because it benefits you, even if that benefit is feeling better because you helped people you empathize with. There are many such things as mutually beneficial acts.
Pain brings pleasure when driven by purpose. When I lift weights, dopamine & endorphins that serve as antidepressants, flood my mind. The pain of study, results in the security of a career. The cuts and wounds I experience in martial arts, result in more then I could ever write in a TH-cam comment. You have some weeb shit as your PFP, so I’m gonna try to get through to you the only way I know how. Learn a martial art. Specifically, Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu. Reject degeneracy & hedonism. Embrace strife & achievement.
@@DunceCapSyndrome You edited your comment. Maybe instead of mindlessly critiquing someone else's ideology, you stuff away your pride and learn English.
I keep having the feeling that I'm here for something else, not just the daily grind, feeling lost and lonely even though I have what I need and want but the situation still seems wrong, but I don't know what I'm here for, getting older with no focus or meaning and feel like falling apart, if I'm just here to work in a warehouse and average family life, seems sad, it's just a waste of life I just want a sign and something to hit me and I think ,that's it! That's what I'm here for ,destiny.
This video has 1 crippling flaw. Pleasure IS the ultimate purpose of human existence, it is the be-all and end-all. Everything we do, we do in pursuit of pleasure. But in this video, you've arbitrarily restricted the definition of "pleasure" to be so narrow that it excludes the majority of positive emotions. So of course then you can argue there's more to life than seeking pleasure, because you just intentionally excluded all the other positive experiences from your definition of pleasure. If you instead take pleasure to be an umbrella term referring to all forms of positive emotion, including joy, fulfilment, happiness, satisfaction, pride, love, etc. then it becomes apparent that pleasure is indeed the only thing we have to live for. We do not seek love/happiness/fulfilment/"pleasure" so that it may help us achieve some greater goal - those feelings ARE the goal. And every single action we take, no matter how big or how small, is in pursuit of that goal.
I don't know... How can a happiness be a goal? You can't "achieve" happiness. Let's say, you really want something. Something that must make you happy. Going towards it you keep thinking about how happy you will become at the end. And then you get it. It's yours. You're happy now. Except you're not. Maybe you got to expirience this pleasure for a day but then the next day comes. You've got nothing to pursue. Movies usually end on a high note. The main character achieves what they wanted and credits roll. Get your happy end and leave. Life, on the other hand, doesn't have a happy end. It just ends. You have achieved what you wanted, great! But then there's the next day, the day after it, and after this one. You've achieved what you wanted and now you realise: happiness doesn't last. Not that something terrible has to happen, no! But you WILL get used to it. And what next? Another goal? A new pursuit of happiness? It is a fleeting thing, that happines. You get it and then it is gone. Start over. This pursuit of joy will inevitably leave you depressed, because if you're smart you will realise: it won't end until you're gone. And as I said earlier, it's not gonna be a happy ending.
@@ghurcbghurcb Nothing you said is wrong, but it also doesn't conflict with what I said either. I agree, there is never a point in which you "achieve" happiness for good and now you just are happy forever. Doesn't work like that. Thank you hedonic treadmill. But the fleeting nature of happiness has no bearing on whether or not it is our final goal to pursue it. I am simply saying that there is nothing beyond happiness/pleasure/positive emotions. You don't seek happiness so that you can then attain something beyond it, no, you seek happiness for the happiness itself. The subjective emotion is the end of the line, there's nothing to be gained beyond it. In that sense, the never-ending pursuit of happiness/fulfilment/positive emotions are really what life boils down to. That pursuit is our "purpose." It's what we do every moment of every day from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. Every single action we take is driven by the prospect of emotional reward. Whether short term or long term, whether deep or superficial. It always comes down to the subjective experience of reward in one way or another. Reward - AKA happiness, pleasure, positive emotions, whatever you want to call it - is the ultimate reason we do every single thing that we do (aside from automated functions like our heart beating and such.)
@@iss_alex your statement inherently implies that a god exists, or some outside entity that could possess the trait of intentionality. As humans we create things as a means to an end. The achievement of that end is what the purpose of the creation is. But humans were not created to achieve an end. We developed spontaneously through evolution, and therefore by definition have no intrinsic purpose. No more than a boulder has purpose, or a planet. Purpose is almost a nonsensical term when it comes to human life. The closest thing to it would be "what is our reason to continue living, rather than just killing ourselves?" And that reason, that purpose, is the pursuit of happiness and all other positive emotions.
@@iss_alex as humans, everything we do has a "point." So it's tempting to believe that life itself has a point. But it cannot possibly have a point unless it was created by another being with a specific intention. That being's intention would be the "point" of our existence. I do not subscribe to the belief that we were created by another being. I believe we developed spontaneously through evolution and natural selection. Therefore the very notion that we have a "point" is invalid and nonsensical. There can not be a point to our existence unless our existence was brought about intentionally through the will of another being.
We need happiness and happiness is a lack of longing/loneliness. We are longing if we haven’t eaten or slept or rested or found love/community. We long for our needs of life and then blurs into love and meaning of being needed.
a saying in hindi language goes like this: aaj ka maza, kal ki saza nahi honi chahiye. Translating to: today's fun shouldn't be tomorrow's punishment. Have fun, just make sure you don't regret it later because of the negative effects it'll have. Eg. Go out w your friends often if you want, but don't get shitfaced often.
@@legendkryt7006 Mai ek bharteey hu. Mujhe Hindi aati hai. Aur koi proof chahiye? =_= Oh, aur mujhe ye bhi pata hai ki Ekta Kapoor ke shows kitne acche hote hai. Bhale hi yaha kitna bhi discrimination ho, hame parvaah nahi. We are #ProudtobeIndian. So much so that we don't do anything about the issues over here ;) Hence proven.
Incredible Video! I study philosophy and am thus often unsatisfied with the level of expertise in a lot of philosophical youtube videos, so I was really really pleased to have stumbled over your channel. Keep it up!
In the end, happiness is all that matters.
Quick thanks to Morning Brew for keeping me up to date on reality and sponsoring this video! Sign up for free here: cen.yt/mbaperture4
You are one of the best TH-camr out there! Thank you for making such great and high quality videos!
I agree. Whatever makes you happy. I’ve been listening to a lot of the Beatles “hippie” era songs. All you need is love. (Im assuming people know not to hurt others in their pursuit of happiness.) 😊
@@themostwanted774 then who is right? Buddhist philosophy or hedonism?
@@lc1777 the only correct philosophy is one which suits you best
👁
Aperture is literally making a Netflix series kind of Videos. My man need more recognition in the platform.
yea, the videos are awesome
I totally agree
Absolutely!
Fr.
EXACTLY
Enjoying “little” everyday pleasures has been the biggest game-changer for me
the little things are what we live with everyday
simple humans with simple needs
same
I got my plants and my pet to remind me of that
Remember, it is the small victories in life that bring us happiness the most
Enjoying the feeling of lying on the bed after a long day or having a cup of warm coffee on a cold morning or having a relaxing shower or maybe even just hearing the sound of breathing is a true gift
Thank you
Ah nice. I had a double penetration some days ago, but sure some coffee and some rest are as good as it. Enjoy your exciting life, I'm so jealous of you.
Try understanding. An ununderstood life is not worth living.
May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.
@@jwu1950 if you like jesu you don't anything about life.
@@MrOssyMoro Nonsense !!!
Jesus told us to love God.
Do you love God ?
May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.
What matters, as with all things in life, is BALANCE.
Don't drink water = you die
Only drink water = you die
Extremism, whether physical, philosophical, or political, is pure poison.
Aperture videos never disappoint. Great job!
yes. but balance sometimes is hard because it requires consistent self regulation amd can sometimes lead to boredom.
its fascinating to see how the mind and body have become flexible and adaptable to circumstances. the mind has a tendency to become desynthesized even to the most unbearable hardship and that's when one can become a hero or a villain or lead to destruction depending upon the mind's self organizing judgment.
thus extremism is not negative in its entirety but can be flipped into positive outcome.
i dont know if those extremes exclude foods as well, but if not then u can definitely live with water as your only beverage
@@MrXIndependent Did I say only beverage?
Well said. Do everything but in a moderate way. Modesty is the great virtue.
@@deluth4638 water = beverage. hence only beverage. simple ambiguity. No worries anyways
Working hard to enjoy life after you are 60 is one of the dumbest and saddest thing about our society as it is today.
Sometimes I travel and am the only young person among elderly (on a touristy destination or activity). It really is sad.
Everything is better when you are young.
life is to short in the end being happy, joyful, pleasured and fullfillled is what really matters
Exactly. Enjoy, then die.
May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.
Yeah I don't see myself going that way...
@@admiralackbar4652 We all must die. You want to enjoy, then die, or suffer, then die ? Its all up to you. No one can tell you what to choose.
May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.
Yes exactly. You won’t be able to enjoy it as much when you’re old and gray
The pursuit of happiness involves living for now and building for later. Simultaneously
Truly said.
For you it might be but, happiness is subjective so you can't say that's true for everyone, that may be your opinion on the best way to have the most overall happiness in life but for someone else that might be hell.
Qui
@@JTGwin10 happiness is subjective but for most people either sacrificing the future or sacrificing the present is too much of an extreme. By balancing both you have the ability to appreciate and enjoy what you have currently and what you will have in the future, rather than just throwing everything away everything you currently have in pursuit for pleasure or overworking yourself to death to achieve future happiness rhat may not be obtainable if you die before retirement. Happiness is sustained pleasure. By placing importance and considering both your present and future pleasure, you are sustaining your pleasure and thus maintaining happiness. By choosing to indulge in pleasure only in the present or solely in the future, that is not sustaining pleasure and you will only be happy for a limited duration od time
I have disciplined myself to never be happy until I attain success. In our modern society, you need to be high on the hierarchy to be happy. Average people don't live as well as you think they do.
This dude gives the best advice... Calm voice, truth telling, and most importantly, making good points... Thanks for all the time you had to put in 🙏🙏🤧🤧🤧
Those who don't believe in God...believe in anything...and anybody 🤔😅🙄
@@sofiamiau3420 God is not the only thing people believe in, even before his creation... let alone the only god/goddess.
Pleasure can be different for everyone.
Pleasure for me is simple living
Aperture is helping me give names to my beliefs, first nihilism, then hedonism, I knew I wasn't crazy, lol. thanks! and great video!
Hopefully Aperture makes a video that talks about Cynicism.I just so happen to be a cynicist.
@@darkcyborgsuperman9521 id love a video on it as well, still cant decide if im more of a stoic or cynist tho
lol in medical field yoy'd be categorized az Bipolar if this is your lifestyle 😂
@@jJust_NO_ I- I am actually diagnosed with the bipolar disorder wtf how dude
@@jJust_NO_ lifestyle? that's like saying a christian id constantly praying to god or something. lifestyle ≠ beliefs
My daddy called me a hedonist when I was 17. I now wish I would have said, “well at least you don’t have to worry about me joining a cult”. 😂 Motto is: work hard, play hard. I do work hard, because the “play” part usually requires money.
Lol
Amen
Hell yeah
Daddy?
Your dad? I'm not used to people referring to their dad's as daddy lmao, it's too bad the term has been so heavily sexualised that it feel odd hearing an adult/adolescent refer to their dad as daddy
If you think carefully, it's is kind of true that we as humans do everything for "gaining" something. So yes, kind of true that we're all little bit hedonistic at our core. Some of us just choose to believe otherwise while some go overboard and all in on hedonistic tendencies
I agree.
Hi, btw.
That is true. Even when you give something to someone in need, when they smile and say thanks, it makes you feel good. I do handle all of my moral and financial responsibilities, but I don’t deny embracing my hedonistic side. There just has to be a balance. I have said on here “Work Hard/Play Hard” (work first). And my kids after they’re grown, I’ll help if they are doing best they can. If they spend all of their money on beer and don’t have electricity….hmmm. Ill pay get some candles.
One could indeed gain by giving and lose by taking. However the default state of the universe is gain.
Some people also have values and systems of morality which would act as compasses that lead them to certain actions - whether it makes them feel good or not. That was a key point in the video. For example, there are certain things I believe in, that I try to live by, whether or not my biology, urges, or societal role tries to sway me into different directions - admittedly, a difficult task at times, but in the end I know i will feel good about living through my own standards.
"Lust for possession and greed has ravaged the soul of humanity like a great cancer, metastasizing throughout society in the form of consumer hedonism.”
― Bryant McGill
I don’t find pleasure in buying things. I find pleasure in fun. I work hard, and play hard.
@@sfvaitkus buying things? Well I enjoy using things I buy. But a new PC and having high end GPU? Enjoyment of gaming experience. Meeting a woman, liking her, having sex and a good time? Pleasure. Going for a walk? Breathing? Hot shower? Hot coffee/tea? Feeling after a workout? Food? Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure.
The balance of pain and pleasure gives us the ability to enjoy our highest high’s but exposes us to our lowest falls. Life is an elastic journey towards finding a balance between what we need to do and what we desire to do. Another great vid Aperture!
All Humans need to repent & Believe in Jesus as their God. Why? Because all Humans have sinned (lied, lusted sexually, stolen, dishonoured parents etc). Avoid the fires of Hell (justice of God) and choose Heaven today. Jesus defeated death by rising from the dead. GOD IS HOLY
Bro this channel is underrated. Deserves more than 10 mil subs by now
Agreed!
Agreed. He's getting there. Soon, he'll be there.
You know this dude had the best research paper in college. The depth of his explanation, transition and connection to the modern world. Your fucking awesome. You encourage me to seek new knowledge everyday.
Seek the knowledge of how to spell "you're" correctly.
@@whirlwind872 seek the knowledge to stop nitpicking things on the internet. for all you know, this person could be a non native speaker and even if not, it’s not that big of a deal
@@whirlwind872 I think, that's just an Internet thing to spell it that way)
@@SS-yl5wo Seek the knowledge
I've been watching this channel for several years now I just wanna tell you man your production quality is great Thank You for all the quality content
Wish you all the happiness in the world
100% agree. I love the content.
How have you watched this channel for 7 years? It was only made in 2017. That's only 3 Yrs & 8 months ago. Damn why do you lie? 🤥 🤥
@@MrJamiez several not seven
@@MrJamiezlearn how to read dummy
“What some people regard as an expression of freedom is actually that of slavery.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Edit: As a small channel that no one cares about, really appreciate the love 😂
Visual Venture. ❤️
Choice is always free and thats fact.
th-cam.com/video/E5NqwcwjGqY/w-d-xo.html
@@choicethetaurus wow bestie i don't like clicking links but this is so good!
@@choicethetaurus Ok this is cool! i clicked the link and i expected some scam or a dumb thing. But this looks nice!
@@choicethetaurus Probably the last Time I click on a random link....Ngl this was kinda good
When a video has a title regarding happiness, starts with an amazingly soothing voiceover and YOLO, you know you are in for an aesthetic journey
Waking up on my homestead to the rooster crowing and the birds singing..and tending to my plants and animals and family as I work my way through the day is the most fulfilling thing to me, everytime I see a butterfly up close or a hummingbird enjoying my flowers 💐.. or a deer and it's fawn 😻😻
I feel such a sense of happiness that I get to be so close to all this life... my goat gave birth to 2 kids in February during a snow storm -and one of the kids was rejected and so I got to bring him inside and raise him for a few weeks- little experiences like this I just love and feel so lucky to get to experience... I wanna stay here forever 🙏🤍🤍
Love your videos 🤍
Hello
Aristippus didn't have such easily accessible ways of instant gratification like we do now
Аctually drugs were legal back then...
@@nvmffs lol the legality of drugs is completely irrelevant to anything, drugs are easily accessible today regardless of their legality, and regardless of the legality of drugs back in his day aristippus would not have had things like social media/TV/Netflix which are engineered to systematically provide the maximum possible amount of instant gratification.
@@whirlwind872 It's capitalism at work. If we want to evolve as a species we gotta learn to control these impulses. Beat the system that's designed for Control.
@@uhhjays6629 unfortunately it is for this very reason our species is doomed. We are biologically incapable of overcoming it for anything more than brief isolated instances. Most of the time we're being controlled we're not even aware of it. And those who wish to be in control have nearly limitless energy and resources to wage war on us. Meanwhile we have limited time and energy to defend ourselves from all the attackers coming at us from every angle trying to take advantage of us for their profit. We all have too much shit to worry about in our own lives to be able to fight constantly. Meanwhile large corporations entire existence is reliant upon the fight. It is their very purpose. They will sink limitless amounts of money into augmenting their systems of control, as control is their primary means of profit. The problem fundamentally is that we as humans are torn between being individuals and being members of a society. We're not loners like tigers. But we're also not eusocial like ants. We are therefore not very good at living in a society, especially large scale ones. We're not fit for the environment we live in. We didn't evolve for this, and it shows. We evolved to hunt mammoths and build fires and hunt and gather in small tribes. Not to live in a global society like we have in many ways today. Our current situation is unsustainable, something will break eventually. The outcome will compute itself, there's no way for us to predict it ahead of it happening. But I do wonder when and how the bubble will pop.
@@whirlwind872 Beautifully said.
ayo my cat is sitting beside me rn while i'm watching this, who wants me to pet her on y'all's behalf?
yes my g one pet for me
1 Belly Rub for me, G
Whoa. Didn't even see the other comment. That's freaky. 2 more back scratches for Kitty.
only half a pet for me g
Me me
I have been subconsciously following hedonism. I constantly only do things if I know I get something pleasurable out of it. I love this life style. I don’t care if I’m lacking for sight. I am living like it’s the last day im on earth.
There’s no reason why the past 5 videos shouldn’t have millions of views. This is your best content yet. Keep killing it Mcewen
I don't understand how someone can dislike this video with all the work that goes into makeing these videos
These thumbnails are amongst the best of all youtube channels atm
You are killing it!
This dude gives the best advice... Calm voice, truth telling, and most importantly, making good points... Thanks for all the time you had to put in
Pleasure is not limited to leisure
You can take pleasure of solving a problem, creating something, serving someone that you love, observer nature, doing sport, etc
After living a hedonistic lifestyle for years it made me realize that I was truly unhappy and truly seeking stoicism.
I’m on the exact same journey as you
Same here? I think alot of millennials are going through this.
im currently like trying to apply stoicism in my daily life, may i ask in what aspect does stoicism made u unhappy?
@@noprobliem23 you misread brother, hedonism actually made me unhappy. Practicing stoicism has brought me growth, balance, and discipline and has allowed me to conquer a couple of my personal demons...I wish you all the same in your personal journeys.
@@NYvandal OHHH!! my bad, thanks for correcting me. Btw wish you all the best as well, and honestly stoicism teaches me alot LOT, but sometimes i might fell down deep and its kinda messes me up, prolly need to learn on how to escape that hole
It’s all about a balance in everything.
Perfectly balanced
-Thanos
Abin Poulose
…as all things should be
This channel is getting closer and closer to my heart
Real infinite happiness comes from within and doesn't comes from external objects ❤ have a good day🤗
Suffering and adversity change us. We become stronger and resilient.
Everything is about balance on every scale there is no one way you can just OD on
Yup
The most responsible ingredient to our universe (thermodynamics) is constantly finding balance and one day the universe will reach equilibrium and that will be the day our universe vacuums to a singularity and restart all over again
Everything we know is balanced or reach balance it’s just the law and order of our universe
Fucking amazing
The pursuit of happiness for oneself and others is the highest form of existence.
The pursuit of happiness at the expense of others is the lowest form of existence.
Great video! Love all your videos!
I used to be a Hedonist, though I didn't have a label for it, chasing happiness in the moment and avoiding pain. As I've gotten older I've noticed that life is balanced; equal pain, equal pleasure regardless of what I do. I now appreciate the pain in a strange way for the perspective it puts on the things I find good- I couldn't enjoy anything without knowing pain. I spent a long time looking only for happiness, it kind of feels like I was chasing my tail now. That's just me though, it could be different for others- I hope it is.
I believe me or you don’t understand what hedonism is. Pushing away the negative only makes it more hedonism how I see it is making feeling good the goal at all time but sometimes you can’t so you let go of your wishes. I do t think you can control whether you’re happy or sad you can only accept it
Interesting thing about hedonism is a lot of times, things that seem like arguments against it actually use the basic principles of it without realizing. For example, if you seek a balance of pleasure and pain because the pain makes the pleasure more enjoyable, that's still advocating hedonism. The end goal is still to have more pleasurable experiences in your life.
Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain is an inbuilt automatic mechanism in all life forms, it is inescapable. Epicurus was right about this, and about letting go mentally of things, because this is the only true attitude to life that saves you from suffering of things which have nothing to do with you from the first place.
Life is about balance. Plan for the future but don't forget to enjoy life in the moment.
Thank you. These guys are overthinking pleasure and what’s fun. And when pleasure and fun are appropriate. 😂
I have certain things I focus on daily that give me pleasure, I still work for tomorrow but I always make sure to stop and take a deep breath outside, staring off at distant things, watching animals, listening to birds, keeping up with game news, listen to the water run in my pool and many other small things. This keeps me in the present while not distracting me from the idea of a better life.
this man is soooo underrated FR
I think we were put here to experience pleasure. It's why bad things happen and our negative emotions are so powerful, so the pleasure of love, family, sex, comfort, nature etc is an incredible feeling. I don't think the way the world is today was ever the original intentions of whoever/whatever put us here.
As older i get, the more i value this. I'm 24 and the past 4 years i evolved to a different human. I'm the same, but much better. I always thought, if i just had the right job and never stop grinding, then I'm happy...but i wasn't. I worked 60 hours a week 2 years ago, but I payed with bot having time for my friends and family or myself. I was looking sick and i was feeling sick and got kicked out of the company because of COVID-19. Right now, i have everything that i need and i feel very good, but i think i can improve even more. What if, those moments with my friends...where we sit around the fire and talk hours about deep shit and just enjoy the now...what if THAT is truly the thing that makes me happy? 2022 i want to sit back and try to enjoy the show. Say thank you and appreciate what i got. Getting calm...getting centred...i think deep down the ability for those values, can bring you something that not a lot of humans will ever reach and I'm sure at the end of this journey i will be better than ever before.
It's all about moderation. Too much of anything can become poison. Keep moving, and seek pleasure in the small moments of life as you go through your day, and you should be good.
It's important that you don't get so caught up in the grind that you don't enjoy simple pleasures :)
Maaaaaan !! I beg you please keep these videos up !! Every word you say fits like it has a meaning like you know exactly what’s up !!!!! Thank you
so Hedonism doesn't take into account bitter sweet moments. Good video man. I now enjoy learning about stuff
This is the one of the few TH-cam channels that is worth a keen follow
All of these other things you described can be a source of pleasure too imo, even religious experience. It's just not implied, it depends on the mind creating the experience. There's certainly some of us who think they have to suffer and that's just how earth is. Thank you for making me aware of that, great video.
We suffer today for the pleasure of tommorow, but tommorow, you’ll suffer for the pleasure of after tommorow, etc. The idea of hedonism is that if you keep focusing on things to do, you’ll never be happy
You could talk about a couch for 10 minutes and I would still listen to it,
You're super interesting!!!
It’s kinda crazy how nobody is talking about the book The Cosmic Wealth Frequencies on Borlest.
It is...a pleasure to see someone speaking of Epicurus' words on selfless acts still being acts of pleasure to one's self. It gets some people to get off their high horse after they feel good about doing "selfless acts" thinking that they are better than others for acting "generous".
This video came at a surprisingly amazing time! I have always had this state of mind with a mixture of miscellaneous stuff for quite some time before I ever heard and could grasp the concept of Hedonism. So pretty much this has confirmed and eased all the worries I have been having lately. Also all the points within these video are just really cool and like every time I watch a video like this my perspective o things sorta change forever, in a good way. So uhh, awesome job on this!
I appreciate when u upload this late in night (at least for me, center of Eu) cuz I just come home and chill for a bit 😊
What's pleasurable is a subjective topic. In a way, everyone does what's pleasurable to them. Some like to work while others like to party. Some do both.
Stupid enough to enjoy the life, wise enough to avoid the mistakes of stupidity. That's what an ideal life looks like, a perfect balance between these two.
“The problem with pleasure is that it needs to be intermittent in order to retain its pleasantness.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Edit: As a small channel that no one cares about, really appreciate the love 😂
Visual Venture. ❤️
that's one hecc of a quote. I have a similar one i penned myself; sadness makes happiness worthwhile
@@levishhunted7593 no i disagree with this. there was no happiness that came after my depression from my uncle's death
That’s like saying you can have too much fun. I’ve never needed my pleasure to be intermittent. 😂
@@levishhunted7593 Nahhhh a little bit of suffering to achieve something would be 100x better than immense suffering just to achieve the same thing. Too much suffering makes happiness pointless
Goddamn it fing spammer again...
The subject of happiness and selflessness reminded me of something I read once on the subject of heaven and hell. They said that if heaven is a place where everyone is happy and there is no suffering, then heaven and hell couldn't exist simultaneously, because a good person could never be happy in heaven knowing that so many people are suffering in hell.
Hedonism is more than a philosophical topic now, it’s a NECESSITY.
it's the only thing keeping me well during this 2m years of pandemic
Aperture is one of my favourite channels ever.
your videos always leave a special feeling and i feel like i know more in general and i should take everything for granted, thank you and i hope you get the recognition you deserve for your amazing videos :)
Dude this is one of the best channels on YT. Not only the content, but the production quality 👌
Love this video. In my life , I aiming for the pleasure of peace and tranquillity.
Somehow... This is just what i need. Thank you aperture♥️♥️
I used to watch anime to enjoy them but now I watch them out of habit. I know how it feels
Pain and pleasure are different sides of the same coin. Pain without pleasure is meaningless, and pleasure without pain is meaningless.
_Couldnt_ be _truer!_
Altruism is also based on pleasure.
Just a different kind that feeds your identity/ego.
i wish he uploads everyday dude keep up the good work really love ur vids
As someone who studied Epicureanism quite a bit and associated with the school, I'd like to point out some things you unfortunately got wrong in this video.
3:00 "This opposition combined with the rise of Christianity in ancient Greece at the time, meant that this extremely rash idea of hedonism died with Aristippus. Many years later Epicurus redefined what hedonism was."
Epicureanism came before Christianity, Epicurus founded his school in Athens named "The Garden" in 306 BC. Although the school was actually quite popular and successful, many have thought of Epicureans as vain pleasure seekers that probably got drunk all day, filled themselves with food and so on. Basically hedonism as is colloquially understood. This was of course, a huge misinterpretation, although there were some who intentionally framed them as such.
3:33 "For Epicurus pleasure was a state of tranquility"
This is actually a very common misconception of Epicurean thought. Epicurus believed a state of tranquility is what's necessary for a life of pleasure, when you have that covered you can acquire the "greatest magnitude of pleasure" (Principal Doctrine 3). In his letter to Menoceus, Epicurus says "Pleasure is our first good. It is the starting point of every choice and every aversion." It is incorrect to think of Epicureanism as some kind of ascetic way of life, in fact Epicurus himself says "There is also a limit to simple living, and he who fails to understand this falls into error as great as that of the man who lives in extravagance." (Vatican Saying 63)
Here is how a non-Epicurean, Cicero, describes the Epicurean goal when describing an Epicurean he's adressing "He added that these same men were quite right in saying that the wise do everything for their own interests; that no sane man should engage in public affairs; that nothing was preferable to a life of tranquility crammed full of pleasures." (In Defense of Publius Sestius 10.23) Does it sound like tranquility is the *end goal* here? There is much more on this topic of the "tranquility model" you can find out abt
4:45 "What about selfless acts? [...] In Hedonistic ideas, it's simply because those things make people feel heroic."
Although I'm sure some Hedonists hold this view, most argue for this quite differently. The argument goes that when we see our fellow man in pain it causes us displeasure so we feel inclined to help them, and we should do so, for treating each other justly will make all of us live a more pleasant life.
5:55 "What do we make of meaning in life, achieving great things, long lasting relationships...?"
Epicureans thought of such things as necessary to living a pleasant life. In fact, concerning relationships, Epicurus thought having valuable friend was so important to live happily that you simply couldn't live a good life without good friends. He invited his closest friends to live with him in his school, they lived together self sufficiently. The reason hedonists argue these things are good because they cause pleasure is because they define pleasure as intrinsically good. This means that pleasure is something that's strived for the sake of pleasure itself. You want friends because it makes you happy gives you pleasure yet you don't want pleasure for something else.
6:35 "The people who benefit from the wrong will never fight against it"
Epicurus answers this by saying "It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly, and it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living pleasantly. Whenever any one of these is lacking, when, for instance, the person is not able to live wisely, though he lives well and justly, it is impossible for him to live a pleasant life." (Principal Doctrine 5) and "It is impossible for the person who secretly violates any article of the social compact to feel confident that he will remain undiscovered, even if he has already escaped ten thousand times; for right on to the end of his life he is never sure he will not be detected." (Principal Doctrine 35)
Although hedonists reject the idea that selflessness exists those such as the Epicureans argue you should act in the manner many would call "altruistic" even if it's done for pleasure because the greatest pleasure is in virtuous living.
7:18 "If pleasure is the ultimate goal it shouldn't matter if that pleasure is real or imagined"
Epicureans will respond to this by saying "It is not the pretense but the real pursuit of philosophy that is needed; for we do not need the semblance of health but rather true health." (Vatican Sayings 54)
wow
@@Legenducky wow indeed mr ducky
This is wikipedia page of hedonism in a video.
Nicely captured the essence
Great work.
Perfectly Balanced,as all things should be.
Aperture ✨👌
i forgot how good Aperture's videos are since i havent gotten his videos in my homepage for so long.
I'm not so quick to reject a "pleasure giving machine." It's an interesting thought experiment. I could have my brain put in a jar and have all my senses triggered to provide wonderful experiences, I struggle to see why I wouldn't want that. Maybe pain and sadness strengthen our character, but my hunch is that I would manage ok without them.
Spend a long enough time in such a machine and your brain will become habituated to pleasure. That in itself might not be such a bad thing however it just goes to show that what we do/think (in repetition over a long period of time) we become. If humans have some sort of an inner moral compass (a jiminy cricket of conscientiousness of sorts) then it's a rather scary thought that such a thing could be overwritten at any time by simple repetitious behaviors.
I would also give it a thought as what is thought as peak pleasure or that dopamine hit is not peak always.......if the experience is experienced it would set a new level for the pursuit which would be be worth it rather than following the norm
Exactly, I feel the thought experiment was shrouded in his own biases. Maybe he was a big critic of hedonism. The option for forever pleasure giving machine is a simulation. As opposed to the real world. In essence, people were probably choosing between living in a simulation vs real world, irrespective of the living conditions. Also, it's a very vague term which is quite difficult to comprehend.
Moreover, who were they study group? I highly doubt that not a single person would went for it pleasure machine, given the amount of misery in the world.
Because even a bad experience can be worth the experience. Life looses most of its complexity if you take away everything but pleasure. To live a life at its fullest, suffering, hard work, pain, boredom etc. are necessary inconveniences.
If you experienced nothing but pleasure, eventually you would become accustomed to it, and if it abated or decreased at any moment, you would consider that lack of pleasure ‘pain’. The neverending pleasure would now be commonplace and therefore the new ‘normal’ to you, and you, becoming dissatisfied again, would focus more and more on the ‘pain’ you are aware you can sometimes experience, leading into the same exact situation you consider yourself in now.
You have to strengthen your own ability to focus upon and appreciate *what you can* in every moment: you have to be your OWN pleasure giving machine. The curator of your own life experience. We each have to take responsibility for ourselves and stop blaming the world: which is varied because we are varied and each want uniquely from all that is, or each other. We alone are responsible for focusing upon what in the world, we prefer, and just enjoying that. If we focus upon what we don’t, it is us ourselves choosing to inflict our own pain and suffering.
man, I stumbled upon your videos a week ago and I must say that they're really well balanced, not too long, great diction, topics. You have attention for detail, and that gives an outstanding quality to your videos. I do get pleasure from watching them haha
I’ve realised something the pursuit of philosophy is basically what you turn to when you have nothing going on in your life
They say that when a relationship fails, we become philosophers
It's often exhausting to think deeply about the world around you and be constantly disappointed by how things are versus how they ought to be.
This is honestly the best channel ever!!!!! Love the content!
Wth!
This is the philosophy I was following unknowingly.
Like, I don't say do everything that makes you feel happy, but find happiness in all the things you do.
Hedonism, humans are destined to be hedonistic, we can all try, but at the end of the day, we're all chasing the same thing, satisfaction, and pleasure. Better accept that sooner then later.
Hey I love your videos they’re interesting and easy to understand and calming of course Keep it up 😁
What makes unlimited pleasure bad? Nothing.
If we were given a chance to live in a reality which only gives us pleasure, why wouldn't anyone go for it?
Why not both enjoy the moment and pay attention to the consequences as well? This way you do not have to crash into something while trying to accelerate in life.
"Yolo" Truly inspiring words
it's always adorable to hear someone speak on Hedonism when they clearly only recently discovered it.
"congratulations, you're a decade or two late. but better late then never.
here's a list of books to read"
source: am Hedonist.
Agreed. He implicitly accepted Aristippus' definition of hedonism as the one that all hedonists accept, and so his arguments against Epicurus really only address Aristippus.
Do you need to read to read a book on hedonism? I’ve never read one, and I’ve never had an issue understanding it. I would prefer pleasure over pain. Who wouldn’t? Well, the girl who made the comment t about not being “too happy” or the quote about “intermittent pleasure”. And we also work, pay taxes, take care of our responsibilities, etc. I’ve been a therapist for 35 years. I’ve always wondered why people care so much about how you choose to live your life, if you aren’t hurting anyone else? 😊
@@sfvaitkus for most smart people it's a given they'll run through the modern thought processes and work out half the things those ancient thinkers did *on their own* , and come to understand hedonism not just as some popular media likes to show it.
but that's not a given for everyone so i find myself often having to recommend a book. altho these days i switched to recommending one or two short youtube videos on the topic,
while reminding them that hedonism isn't I- / a-moral usually, and most hedonists tend to include love and generally moral acts in their lists of "more pleasurable things".
hell, when i get to talking with most of them they'll eventually admit that they're at least part hedonist themselves.
It isn't all orgies and seducing that engaged girl.
usually it's neither.
It's " 'finding meaning' in pleasure"
Ultimately, it boils down to balance. Too much of anything is bad. Work too hard and you won't get time to appreciate the present. Play too much and it'll bite you in the back and cause more pain in the long run
Pleasure is like the spice of life:
Not enough, and it's bland and dull; Too much and it begins to lose it's original essence and uniqueness.
I feel like the flaws of hedonism are intrinsic because imagine only eating your favorite food for all eternity
Brug
Would it be pleasurable? no? then it's not hedonistic. simple.
A true hedonistic situation would be eating whatever food would maximize you pleasure by eating it at your current state.
It can be argued that the seemingly altruistic acts done by so many are actually selfish acts in and of themselves. Even if the actor never seeks recognition nor speaks a word of it, even if they don't realize it themselves, the act of helping others makes us feel better. So our actual motivation for being selfless is selfishness.
The thought experiment is extremely flawed because you are telling these people what the choices are, the only way to get an objective answer would be to somehow have them experience both without knowing what either is, don't tell them what's real and whats not, then let them decide. I think the results would be overwhelmingly different.
Every choice has good and bad feelings involved, the presence of "pain", like with the kid going to college, is what makes the pleasure seem that much better. So choose to stay home or leave for college, each is pursuing what they think will be the most pleasurable or least painful. Just because a choice can cause you pain as well as pleasure doesn't mean the pleasure didn't win out in the end.
Also your argument that no one would go against bad things in society if they benefit from it makes the assumption that that individual gets more pleasure from said benefit than the high that comes with helping people. I am not a hedonist but every one of these points can be torn apart with ease. "The best memories are the ones with pleasure and pain" says who? My best memories aren't that way at all. Sure I have some that are mixed and are great memories, but my best memories are the ones that seem like I had the "perfect day" . This is a weak argument from start to finish, making assumptions about all of humanity that just aren't accurate and can't be known. At the end, your description of all the little things you can do to seek pleasure can be considered a hedonistic lifestyle or point of view, it depends on that individual. Also pursuing pleasure doesn't mean you'll get it. On some level, maybe they do have a point, everything we do brings us some level of satisfaction if successful. Lastly, every example you put forth as the opposite of seeking pleasure ended up having pleasure as it's reward which doesn't change anything other than the type of pleasure you are pursuing. Pleasure is subjective. You think that people that love pain during sexual acts actually enjoy the pain or do they derive pleasure from it? Ultimately there is the person you show the world, the person you show a select few, the person you are when you are alone, and the real you is the last person that you don't even know, you can never say with any surety what motivates you because we don't know who we are at our core, it's not possible to know given our current understanding and may never be possible, your subconscious mind is in charge of everything, you're just along for the ride.
Thank you. I got halfway through this when I realized all this.
Even if being kind to others is done out of selfishness it doesn’t matter to the person on the receiving end. Say a guy donates a ton of money to a charity to make himself look good. It doesn’t matter to the people in need who benefited from it.
@@fwoop4848 Yes i agree it's rad to help people, and it can actually have a good impact on their lives, but none of that proves how giving them help can't still easily be considered a hedonistic act, as you do it because it benefits you, even if that benefit is feeling better because you helped people you empathize with. There are many such things as mutually beneficial acts.
Happiness is rational activity conducted in accordance with virtue. Pleasure is fleeting, happiness is long-lasting.
As a hedonist, I am astonished that people would not choose to give up this reality, in exchange for a better one. I would do so in a heartbeat!
Pain brings pleasure when driven by purpose. When I lift weights, dopamine & endorphins that serve as antidepressants, flood my mind. The pain of study, results in the security of a career. The cuts and wounds I experience in martial arts, result in more then I could ever write in a TH-cam comment.
You have some weeb shit as your PFP, so I’m gonna try to get through to you the only way I know how. Learn a martial art. Specifically, Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu. Reject degeneracy & hedonism. Embrace strife & achievement.
@@DunceCapSyndrome You edited your comment. Maybe instead of mindlessly critiquing someone else's ideology, you stuff away your pride and learn English.
@@mixocrian My bad Kamala, you’re right. I’m glad embracing hedonism has made you the strong woman you are today.
@@DunceCapSyndrome ???
Anime pfp and public playlist with anime woman asmr yikes 😬 what a sad way to live
Im at such a weird point in my life i thought getting outa an old situation would be it like my turning point but idk, watching these videos helpp
Lost me at "people living in poverty as a result of their own laziness"
Bruh that’s not why people are living in poverty.
He didn't say it was the only cause of poverty, or even the most common one.
I keep having the feeling that I'm here for something else, not just the daily grind, feeling lost and lonely even though I have what I need and want but the situation still seems wrong, but I don't know what I'm here for, getting older with no focus or meaning and feel like falling apart, if I'm just here to work in a warehouse and average family life, seems sad, it's just a waste of life I just want a sign and something to hit me and I think ,that's it! That's what I'm here for ,destiny.
We are all running on the hedonic treadmill.
Someone ask him why you can’t have dreams, and party everyday. My brain never grew up, but we do work hard. 😂
About time. Been skipping the last few videos but this one kept interest.
Poverty is not born of laziness
really ? explain it
Sometimes
The best happines is the one that makes YOU happy and OTHERS happy at the same time, in the short and long run. The non-selfish happiness.
This video has 1 crippling flaw. Pleasure IS the ultimate purpose of human existence, it is the be-all and end-all. Everything we do, we do in pursuit of pleasure. But in this video, you've arbitrarily restricted the definition of "pleasure" to be so narrow that it excludes the majority of positive emotions. So of course then you can argue there's more to life than seeking pleasure, because you just intentionally excluded all the other positive experiences from your definition of pleasure. If you instead take pleasure to be an umbrella term referring to all forms of positive emotion, including joy, fulfilment, happiness, satisfaction, pride, love, etc. then it becomes apparent that pleasure is indeed the only thing we have to live for. We do not seek love/happiness/fulfilment/"pleasure" so that it may help us achieve some greater goal - those feelings ARE the goal. And every single action we take, no matter how big or how small, is in pursuit of that goal.
I don't know...
How can a happiness be a goal?
You can't "achieve" happiness. Let's say, you really want something. Something that must make you happy. Going towards it you keep thinking about how happy you will become at the end.
And then you get it.
It's yours.
You're happy now.
Except you're not.
Maybe you got to expirience this pleasure for a day but then the next day comes.
You've got nothing to pursue.
Movies usually end on a high note. The main character achieves what they wanted and credits roll. Get your happy end and leave.
Life, on the other hand, doesn't have a happy end. It just ends.
You have achieved what you wanted, great! But then there's the next day, the day after it, and after this one. You've achieved what you wanted and now you realise: happiness doesn't last. Not that something terrible has to happen, no! But you WILL get used to it.
And what next?
Another goal?
A new pursuit of happiness?
It is a fleeting thing, that happines. You get it and then it is gone.
Start over.
This pursuit of joy will inevitably leave you depressed, because if you're smart you will realise: it won't end until you're gone.
And as I said earlier, it's not gonna be a happy ending.
@@ghurcbghurcb Nothing you said is wrong, but it also doesn't conflict with what I said either. I agree, there is never a point in which you "achieve" happiness for good and now you just are happy forever. Doesn't work like that. Thank you hedonic treadmill. But the fleeting nature of happiness has no bearing on whether or not it is our final goal to pursue it. I am simply saying that there is nothing beyond happiness/pleasure/positive emotions. You don't seek happiness so that you can then attain something beyond it, no, you seek happiness for the happiness itself. The subjective emotion is the end of the line, there's nothing to be gained beyond it. In that sense, the never-ending pursuit of happiness/fulfilment/positive emotions are really what life boils down to. That pursuit is our "purpose." It's what we do every moment of every day from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. Every single action we take is driven by the prospect of emotional reward. Whether short term or long term, whether deep or superficial. It always comes down to the subjective experience of reward in one way or another. Reward - AKA happiness, pleasure, positive emotions, whatever you want to call it - is the ultimate reason we do every single thing that we do (aside from automated functions like our heart beating and such.)
cant say that, nobody knows what the REAL point of existence is. Or if there even is one.
@@iss_alex your statement inherently implies that a god exists, or some outside entity that could possess the trait of intentionality. As humans we create things as a means to an end. The achievement of that end is what the purpose of the creation is. But humans were not created to achieve an end. We developed spontaneously through evolution, and therefore by definition have no intrinsic purpose. No more than a boulder has purpose, or a planet. Purpose is almost a nonsensical term when it comes to human life. The closest thing to it would be "what is our reason to continue living, rather than just killing ourselves?" And that reason, that purpose, is the pursuit of happiness and all other positive emotions.
@@iss_alex as humans, everything we do has a "point." So it's tempting to believe that life itself has a point. But it cannot possibly have a point unless it was created by another being with a specific intention. That being's intention would be the "point" of our existence. I do not subscribe to the belief that we were created by another being. I believe we developed spontaneously through evolution and natural selection. Therefore the very notion that we have a "point" is invalid and nonsensical. There can not be a point to our existence unless our existence was brought about intentionally through the will of another being.
We need happiness and happiness is a lack of longing/loneliness. We are longing if we haven’t eaten or slept or rested or found love/community. We long for our needs of life and then blurs into love and meaning of being needed.
a saying in hindi language goes like this:
aaj ka maza, kal ki saza nahi honi chahiye.
Translating to: today's fun shouldn't be tomorrow's punishment.
Have fun, just make sure you don't regret it later because of the negative effects it'll have.
Eg. Go out w your friends often if you want, but don't get shitfaced often.
I'm an Indian... Why haven't I ever heard of this?
@@physicslover4951 cause ur not a Indian
@@legendkryt7006 Mai ek bharteey hu. Mujhe Hindi aati hai. Aur koi proof chahiye? =_=
Oh, aur mujhe ye bhi pata hai ki Ekta Kapoor ke shows kitne acche hote hai. Bhale hi yaha kitna bhi discrimination ho, hame parvaah nahi. We are #ProudtobeIndian. So much so that we don't do anything about the issues over here ;)
Hence proven.
@@physicslover4951 ye same, even I haven't heard of it, it a good quote tho
@@physicslover4951 mazak kar Raha tha itna serious ho gaye aap
Incredible Video! I study philosophy and am thus often unsatisfied with the level of expertise in a lot of philosophical youtube videos, so I was really really pleased to have stumbled over your channel. Keep it up!