Information AboutHedonistic Imperative |
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Pearce mainly argues from a Utilitarian ethic. If we assume Happiness is equivalent to value, he asserts, then our goal should necessarily be the abolition of Suffering and the instating of continual happiness for all conscious organisms. Pearce's Idealistic Ontological views also lead him to conclude that no living thing should be exempt from the abolitionist program. Furthermore, by rejecting Dualism , Pearce opens the door to nontraditional means of attaining his goal. If mental states are equivalent to physical states (or if there are no physical states, or if mental states are causally inert (the view of Epiphenomenalists )), then—at least in theory—we can scientifically determine the neurological basis of happiness. At this point we would have the option of chemically or genetically ensuring permanent happiness for all organisms. CRITICISMS Since Pearce's theory holds views conflicting with free will and personal liberty, considering pleasure rather than freedom as 'ultima ratio', the risk of global Totalitarianism has been raised by critics like Friedrich Hayek and Ayn Rand . The existence of such a Utopia has been portrayed in fiction in Aldous Huxley 's '' Brave New World ''. Of particular interest regarding this book is its clear and lucid portrayal of such a hypothetical society. While Huxley disapproved of such a dystopia, the book is extremely open to personal interpretation, with no force-fed stance present in the book. A more overtly optimistic view of the implementation of a similar idea was portrayed in Octavia Butler 's trilogy ''Lilith's Brood''. Pearce's views also contrast starkly with schools of thought which do not hold human happiness as the ultimate source of value. Compare, for instance, the popular interpretation of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche , which holds the "Will To Power", or, loosely interpreted, the craving for the power to affect, as the fundamental driving force of nature, although even this could be held as simply a means to obtaining happiness as the ultimate goal. COMPARE SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |