hedonism

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hedonism

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

hedonism [Gr.,=pleasure], the doctrine that holds that pleasure is the highest good. Ancient hedonism expressed itself in two ways: the cruder form was that proposed by Aristippus and the early Cyrenaics , who believed that pleasure was achieved by the complete gratification of all one's sensual desires; on the other hand, Epicurus and his school, though accepting the primacy of pleasure, tended to equate it with the absence of pain and taught that it could best be attained through the rational control of one's desires. Ancient hedonism was egoistic; modern British hedonism, expressed first in 19th-century utilitarianism , is universalistic in that it is conceived in a social sense— "the greatest happiness for the greatest number."

Bibliography: See J. C. Gosling, Pleasure and Desire (1969).

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hedonism

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

hedonism. The ethical doctrine which maintains that the proper end of all moral action is pleasure.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "hedonism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "hedonism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (November 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-hedonism.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "hedonism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-hedonism.html

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hedonism

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

hedonism XIX. f. Gr. hēdonē pleasure + -ISM.
So hedonist XIX.

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T. F. HOAD. "hedonism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "hedonism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (November 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-hedonism.html

T. F. HOAD. "hedonism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-hedonism.html

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