The verb is "to enjoy". I don't know why exactly, but when someone says to me "Enjoy it!", it irritates me. As if enjoyment is considered the highest good of the situation.
With the upcoming holidays, the cry "Enjoy it!" is of course the word of the day everywhere, and everyone knows that these days lead to acute family stress for many.
But anyway, homo sapiens is an organism that seeks pleasure and tries to avoid pain as much as possible. Who doesn't want to enjoy life? But pleasure is fleeting and only lasts as long as the endorphin production in our brains continues.
Pleasure is therefore not a good candidate for long-term meaning. Moreover, there are so many less pleasant but necessary activities in our daily lives
that the pursuit of a constant state of pleasure is doomed to failure anyway. This does not mean that we cannot strive for as much pleasure as possible and as little discomfort as possible.
That man has understood this is evident from history. When it came to pleasure and enjoyment, he was an early adopter. The oldest sources of pleasure date back to the Babylonians.
In the Gilgamesh epic from 2100 BC we find the following recommendation: "Fill your belly. Make merry day and night. Let days be full of joy. Dance and make music day and night. These things alone are the concern of men."
Such a way of life is of course only for those who do not have to worry about time and money. But even if we are rich enough not to have to work, it is very questionable whether we would want to indulge in unlimited eating, dancing, and drinking.
In ancient China, they already knew it. The oldest philosophical school that saw pleasure as the highest form of self-fulfillment was Yangism. This Chinese school was founded by Yang Zhu (440 - 360 BC)
and strove for pleasure from a strongly egoistic perspective. In contrast to the Confucian virtues of decency, humanity, and justice, the Yangists saw the principle of "all for myself" as the only virtue.
And then of course there were the Ancient Greeks. Like there was Aristippus of Cyrene (435-356 BCE). He formulated a hedonistic egoism, arguing that personal pleasure is the highest good.
He and the school of Cyrenaics he inspired focused on the gratification of immediate sensory pleasures with little concern for long-term consequences They still live on in our language. If you are called a hedonist, that is usually not really a compliment.
The essence of what is always going on here is that this basic attitude to life is also the basis for a person's ethical vision, for how he defines his relationship with the other.
Only in modern times do we see new schools that define pleasure as the highest purpose of meaning. It was especially the 19th century utilitarians who attributed a central role to well-being and pleasure. Great names in this regard are Jeremy Bentham, James Mill and John Stuart Mill.
According to them, all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest total amount of happiness for the greatest number of people, effectively equating the pursuit of enjoyment with the more complex pursuit of happiness.
Here comes the insight that the permanent pursuit of enjoyment is different from happiness and that enjoyment is only a short-term goal, unsuitable as a meaning of life.
Jeremy Bentham described it as follows: "Happiness is the presence of as much enjoyment and pleasure as possible and as little pain as possible".
And so I conclude this year 2024 with you. Enjoy the Holidays and may the New Year bring you Happiness.
Thank you all again for your participation.
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
25 - Historical Materialism 5 Oct 2023 / 1088
26 - The Bonobo and the Atheist 9 Jan 2024 / 1102
27 - Artificial Intelligence 9 Feb 2024 / 1108
28 - Why Am I Here 6 Sept 2024 / 1139
[13:25] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman
[13:26] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): I hope that the enjoyment you will bring your grandchild by just being there will make you happy
[13:26] herman Bergson: I can assure you Gemma, I do :-)
[13:26] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): yes
[13:26] bergfrau Apfelbaum: thank you for the interesting and beautiful and fun year. Herman and class
[13:26] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yay
[13:26] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): yay
[13:27] herman Bergson: What interests me here is the relation between enjoyment and happiness
[13:27] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): I use the word enjoy a lot
[13:27] herman Bergson: It makes me think of the many TV commercials these days....
[13:27] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): at the end of many of my articles in the paper
[13:27] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): when i send people to visit a new place
[13:27] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): for example
[13:27] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): it is temporary
[13:28] Max Chatnoir: Yes, Herman. I always look forward to your presentations and the following discussions!
[13:28] herman Bergson: I still have a feeling that enjoyment is superficial...there is more in visiting a new place for instance...
[13:28] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): it is fleeting
[13:28] Max Chatnoir: Are you thinking of enjoyment as just physical pleasure? Eating, drinking, dancing?
[13:28] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i enjoy pizza!!!!!
[13:29] bergfrau Apfelbaum: For some people, having a great car is happiness. But happiness actually means being healthy.
[13:29] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate) GIGGLES!!
[13:29] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ...LOL...
[13:29] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): once i eat it i want it again
[13:29] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): the idea also gives me enjoyment
[13:29] Max Chatnoir: Yes, health is important. Being able to walk around the block without falling over gives me pleasure.
[13:30] herman Bergson: I see enjoyment advertised as happiness in these current Xmas commercials
[13:30] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): well as philosophers we know better dont we
[13:30] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): happiness is much more than enjoyment
[13:30] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yes :-)
[13:31] herman Bergson: yes...but I always get the feeling that buying stuff is a road to happiness
[13:31] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): Max is going to enjoy all your concerts and then later the idea will give her happiness
[13:31] herman Bergson: and you are bombarded with that belief every day in those tv commercials
[13:31] herman Bergson: I hope so Gemma :-)))
[13:31] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): lool
[13:32] Max Chatnoir: I do enjoy hearing music. :-)
[13:32] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): the idea that yu can buy something is a feeling of enjoyment..not happiness
[13:32] bergfrau Apfelbaum: a piece of land in a game (SL:-) makes me happy
[13:32] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): like pizza
[13:32] herman Bergson: Yes Beertje, but they try to make you believe that it will make you happy
[13:32] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): SL makes me happy most of the time
[13:32] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ik trap daar niet in
[13:33] herman Bergson: It means a lot to me too, Gemma...
[13:33] herman Bergson: My being here has helped me through this year...
[13:33] herman Bergson: You al have...
[13:34] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): was that a feeling of enjoy or happiness?
[13:34] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i think it is happiness
[13:34] herman Bergson: It was a feeling of being.....
[13:34] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): that's enough:)
[13:34] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate):Sometimes I do not enjoy it when things are going wrong
[13:34] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): in sl
[13:35] herman Bergson: Those are just moments, Gemma...so you can live with it because underneath is the feeling of continuity
[13:35] bergfrau Apfelbaum: I know that Gemma! Straighten the crown and try again :-)
[13:35] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate) GIGGLES!!
[13:35] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ...LOL...
[13:35] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): like missing a hole 5 times in a row in golf
[13:36] herman Bergson: That annoys me too...and I love it.... :-)
[13:36] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): yep
[13:36] herman Bergson: So silly to get annoyed by a golf ball :-)
[13:36] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :))
[13:36] bergfrau Apfelbaum: a sound file was bugging me for two weeks. I couldn't upload it anymore. but it was the viewer's fault... now it works :-)
[13:37] herman Bergson: But to play together makes us feel happy
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): yes
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): and I ENJOY it too
[13:37] herman Bergson: :-))) Me too :-)
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): will we have a new theme when we come back to class??
[13:38] bergfrau Apfelbaum: i love playing golf too!!♥
[13:38] Max Chatnoir: I do word puzzles every day and I like doing them even when I get them wrong.
[13:38] herman Bergson: It gives SLife a meaning for us :-)
[13:38] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): me too Max
[13:38] herman Bergson: me too, Max
[13:38] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yes .-)
[13:39] bergfrau Apfelbaum: sorting the inventory, after a shop&hop also makes sense
[13:39] herman Bergson: And the joy when you yet figure out that word you didn't know
[13:39] bergfrau Apfelbaum: lol
[13:39] Max Chatnoir: although getting them right is a little more gratifying....
[13:39] Max Chatnoir: Yes!
[13:39] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ihave been working on my inventory too while getting more junk to fill it with
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i like 4 states sudokus, it makes me feel good when i solved them,
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): stars
[13:40] bergfrau Apfelbaum: i have been playing Wordzee (a wordgame, on my phone with a friend for 2 years
[13:40] herman Bergson: Ahh...inventory work...also nice for the holidays :-)
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ツ i need a new inventory
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i only have 125.000 items
[13:41] herman Bergson: I play some quiz with my former assistent from my RL job
[13:41] bergfrau Apfelbaum: 300 046
[13:41] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): lol
[13:41] bergfrau Apfelbaum: 🙂
[13:41] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): you won Bergie
[13:41] herman Bergson: oh....I am modest... 59.406 items :-)
[13:42] herman Bergson: or nmaybe I am poor
[13:42] bergfrau Apfelbaum: 80% are full perm stuff
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ouch
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i keep it below 35000 most of the time
[13:43] Max Chatnoir: 69670
[13:43] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): up to 39000+ right now
[13:43] herman Bergson: Interesting statistics :-)
[13:43] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i dont own a shop like Beertje
[13:43] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): and i bet max you have a lot of Vwec there
[13:44] Max Chatnoir: But a lot of mine are old student assignments. :-)
[13:44] Lukkie Sands: I only have 40.417 items :-)
[13:44] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): yay
[13:44] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): but i have been finding a lot of silly things
[13:44] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): and tossing them
[13:45] Max Chatnoir: Yes, there is a lot of stuff for VWEC, like scripted object samples.
[13:45] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): yes
[13:45] bergfrau Apfelbaum: BRB
[13:45] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): and these items bring you happiness?
[13:46] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate) GIGGLES!!
[13:46] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ...LOL...
[13:46] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): not when it gets messy
[13:46] Max Chatnoir: I enjoy making them, and having them work!
[13:46] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): enjoyment sometimes
[13:46] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): yes
[13:46] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): what is VWEC
[13:47] Max Chatnoir: Virtual Worlds Education Consortium.
[13:47] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): it is most interesting
[13:47] Max Chatnoir: Bunch of people interested in teaching in SL.
[13:47] Max Chatnoir: and other virtual worlds
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): thankyou
[13:48] herman Bergson: I guess now we have found happiness in our inventory....
[13:48] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): haa
[13:49] Max Chatnoir: Here is their YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vweconsortium
[13:49] herman Bergson: So enjoy your inventory in SL and RL :-0
[13:49] herman Bergson: and for today......
[13:49] herman Bergson: Class dismissed for 2024....
[13:49] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ♥ Thank Youuuuuuuuuu!! ♥
[13:49] bergfrau Apfelbaum: ~Applause~
[13:49] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yay
[13:49] herman Bergson: Thank you all
[13:50] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman:))))
[13:50] Max Chatnoir: You are a treasure, Herman!
[13:50] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): when do we come back
[13:50] herman Bergson: Thank you Max :-)
[13:50] herman Bergson blushed deep purple
[13:50] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ツ
[13:50] bergfrau Apfelbaum: :-)
