What is the origin of the word hedonism and when did it first appear in English?
The word hedonism derives from the Ancient Greek word hēdonē meaning pleasure. Its earliest known use in English appears in the 1850s.
Questions about Hedonism
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was the earliest philosophical proponent of hedonism and what were their dates?
Aristippus of Cyrene lived between 435 and 356 BCE and is usually identified as the earliest philosophical proponent of hedonism. He formulated an egoistic hedonism arguing that personal pleasure is the highest good.
When did Jeremy Bentham live and what form of hedonism did he develop?
Jeremy Bentham lived from 1748 to 1832 and developed influential form of hedonism known as classical utilitarianism. One key innovation was rejection of egoistic hedonism advocating individuals should promote greatest good for greatest number of people.
How does John Stuart Mill differ from Jeremy Bentham regarding the types of pleasures?
John Stuart Mill lived from 1806 to 1873 and feared Bentham's quantitative focus would lead to overemphasis on simple sensory pleasures. In response he included quality of pleasures as additional factor arguing higher pleasures of mind are more valuable than lower pleasures of body.
What years did Peter Singer live and how has he expanded classical hedonism?
Peter Singer born in 1946 has expanded classical hedonism to include concerns about animal welfare advocating effective altruism relying on empirical evidence and reason to prioritize actions having most significant positive impact.