this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025
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Hedonism IS pretty badass when done ethically and collectively.
Maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain in the world is a much better thing to live for than accruing capital or assuring that people within a certain geographical area have it better than others if you ask me ๐คท
The reason why it isn't badass is it prioritizies self over others. Under a hedonistic worldview, your own pleasure matters more than another living beings pain.
It aligns well with capitalism and its inventivization of personal enrichment even if at an expense to others.
In my view being "badass" is taking care of each other, even the supposed "least" amongst us (if we are to believe in such hierarchies), as our superheros and religious figures are written.
There's a reason we have immortalized such figures and I would describe exactly none of them as hedonistic. Rather they often take on incredible personal pain to bring safety and security to others. That is what I would call badass.
Did you not spot the "ethically and collectively" part? It's very near the start of the comment and invalidates your entire objection.
Couldn't agree more if I tried. Except I'd change "even" to "especially". Minimizing of pain, remember?
Again, ethical and collective hedonism inevitably includes such sacrifice for the common good
Collective hedonism is an abstract ideal that has not quite had any real world application. I have met quite a few hedonistic individuals but have yet to see a successfully and consistently hedonistic group. It's hard to get a large group to agree on what is meaningfully pleasurable. For the purposes of this discussion it's too abstract to be relevant and even if it was I'm still not quite sure why it would be 'badass' as doing the pleasurable thing often does not coincide with doing the right thing.
Collective pleasure does not exist with any degree of permanence but collective prevention of harm absolutely does, and often requires sacrifice / hardship, which is what I would define as "badass"