Q&A: Hedonism
Hedonism
Question
Is there any preference for choosing to live a moral life over a life of hedonism? Seemingly, a person wants to enjoy himself (and maybe not?), and a person wants to do the good deed (and maybe not?). What is the difference between this desire and that desire?
Answer
I didn’t understand the contrast. A hedonistic life is not necessarily immoral. If you mean to ask whether it is preferable to devote one’s life to commandments and good deeds rather than devoting it to pleasures—then certainly yes.
The question of what a person wants is not relevant to the question of whether something is morally preferable or not.
Discussion on Answer
Hedonism is surrender to the urges of desire, and morality is surrender to society’s dictates (parental education and the like).
Everyone has some measure of hedonism and some measure of morality. There are differences in the strength or force of each dictate, and this can also change within the same person at different times or under the influence of different substances (alcohol will weaken the moral side, and so he will be more hedonistic).
It seems to me that he’s asking why choose the moral option. If a woman attracts him, why shouldn’t he rape her? That’s hedonism versus morality.
Of course, no one can answer for him why he does things. I assume he acts morally because he believes that’s how one should act, so that’s simply what he has to answer for himself.