I’m not sure what I value, not sure if I could reduce all my values to pleasure and pain, might be but:
My biggest beef with (psychological) hedonism that it seams somewhat incoherent if you think that personal identity can be explained in terms of a narrative center of gravity:
Why should I care about future mes’? I’m assuming that you have to act to maximize pleasure—pain in at any given time, you are not allowed to say “well this gives me more pleasure—pain in the long run”, because if you do, you have sneaked in the value “future me is also important”/”maintaining personal identity is important” through the back door..
While I basically agree with you about hedonism, I think you’re being a bit too glib about your reason. Even someone who takes a pill that will give them a minute of ecstasy followed by death is caring about their “future self”; after all, the experience of putting a pill in their mouths is hardly worth pursuing for its own sake. This notion that future-me and present-me are sharply distinguishable requires clearer delineation to be useful.
I’m not sure what I value, not sure if I could reduce all my values to pleasure and pain, might be but:
My biggest beef with (psychological) hedonism that it seams somewhat incoherent if you think that personal identity can be explained in terms of a narrative center of gravity: Why should I care about future mes’? I’m assuming that you have to act to maximize pleasure—pain in at any given time, you are not allowed to say “well this gives me more pleasure—pain in the long run”, because if you do, you have sneaked in the value “future me is also important”/”maintaining personal identity is important” through the back door..
While I basically agree with you about hedonism, I think you’re being a bit too glib about your reason. Even someone who takes a pill that will give them a minute of ecstasy followed by death is caring about their “future self”; after all, the experience of putting a pill in their mouths is hardly worth pursuing for its own sake. This notion that future-me and present-me are sharply distinguishable requires clearer delineation to be useful.
But then I don’t think going from future me to for example my children is so far. Edit: crossed out “not” before so)
Though I have encountered people who hold to “strong psychological hedonism”.
-- “But wouldn’t complete headwireing, the way you describe it kill the person? No memories no coherent thoughts just bliss-stasis.”
-- “Well you only want to maintain the person because in this very moment it gives you pleasure/less pain.”