Hedone ( grc, ἡδονή, ''hēdonē'') is the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

word meaning "

pleasure Pleasure refers to experience that feels good, that involves the enjoyment of something. It contrasts with pain or suffering, which are forms of feeling bad. It is closely related to value, desire and action: humans and other conscious anima ...

." It was an important concept in

Ancient Greek philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empire ...

, especially in the Epicurean school. It is also the root of the English word "

hedonism Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decr ...

". In

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, Hedone is personified as a goddess of pleasure, enjoyment, and delight, as the daughter born from the union of

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the earli ...

(personification of love) and

Psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή). Psyche may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

(personification of the soul). She was associated more specifically with sensual pleasure. Her opposites were the

Algea {{Distinguish, Algae Algea is a Norwegian multinational company operating in the chemical industry and manufacturing seaweed-based fertilizer ingredients. History Algea Produckter As was founded in 1937 by Haakon Torgersen. The Neptune’s tr ...

, personifications of pain. Her equivalent in

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

Voluptas In Roman mythology, Voluptas or Volupta is the daughter born from the union of Cupid and Psyche, according to Apuleius. The Latin word ''voluptas'' means 'pleasure' or 'delight'; Voluptas is known as the goddess of "sensual pleasures". She is ofte ...

. There is no evidence that she was ever the object of cult worship.

Aristotelian philosophy

Aristotle identified it as one of the two elements or components of ''pathe'', with the other being ''lype'' or pain. The philosopher described ''pathe'' in these words: "Let the emotions be all those things on account of which people change their minds and differ in regard to their judgments, and upon which attend pain and pleasure." ''Hēdonē,'' in Aristotelian ethics, is part of the philosopher's account of virtue and that pleasure (along with pain) is said to reveal a person's character. It is good if it is a consequence of a virtuous life as opposed to the position of some philosophers such as

Aristippus Aristippus of Cyrene, Libya, Cyrene (; grc, Ἀρίστιππος ὁ Κυρηναῖος; c. 435 – c. 356 BCE) was a Hedonism, hedonistic Ancient Greece, Greek philosopher and the founder of the Cyrenaics, Cyrenaic school of philosophy. He w ...

, which holds that it is wholly good. For the concept to be good or true, it must conform to

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...

, or

virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...

and that, although, ''hēdonē'' can harmonize with these three, Aristotle gave it less value. An example is the concept of proper pleasure or ''oikeia hedone'', which has been discussed in Poetics and considered a process of restoration.

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centur ...

's interpretation of Aristotelian philosophy explains that pleasure is a movement of the soul and that tranquility arises from it.

In Epicureanism

In the philosophy of

Epicurus Epicurus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκουρος ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents. Influenced ...

, ''hēdonē'' is described as a pleasure that may or may not derive from actions that are virtuous, whereas another form of pleasure, ''terpsis'', is always virtuous. Another Epicurean reading, which distinguished ''hēdonē'' from ''terpsis,'' referred to it as a feeling of pleasure that is episodic and might or might not be beneficial. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Epicurus uses ''hēdonē'' in reference to only physical pleasures.

Stoicism

The

Stoics Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asserting that th ...

held a negative view of ''hēdonē,'' arguing that it is not in accordance with nature and reason. This can be understood within the philosophy's position that emotions are by definition excessive or are excessive impulses that exceed the measure of natural reason and – as in other forms of excess – leads to other evils of irrationality.

References

External links

* {{Greek mythology (deities) Hedonism Epicureanism Concepts in ancient Greek ethics Personifications in Greek mythology Greek love and lust deities Love and lust goddesses

Aristotelian philosophy

In Epicureanism

Stoicism

See also

References

External links