PHL275H1 Lecture Notes - Experience Machine
Document Summary
Hedonism-the view that only intrinsic good is pleasure and only intrinsic evil is pain. Objection about mindless pleasures-three key things missing from hedonism: knowledge-general facts, but mostly about yourself and your place in the world. You think that you are doing things such as climbing mt. Everest, but instead you are sitting in a machine with electrodes in your brain. You don"t have knowledge but false beliefs about where you are: actual achievement, or actually making changes in the world, real personal relationships. Alternatives to hedonism-competing theories about what"s good, to see if the two objections can be avoided. What is good is what would best fulfill your desires. Prominent in economics tend to equate the good/utility with the satisfaction of desires, economists like this because it is subjective like hedonism and measurable. Hedonism denies that any one activity is best for everyone. It all depends on what you would enjoy and not enjoy.
