Concept, Origin and Hedonist Schools

We explain what Hedonism is and what was the origin of this philosophical doctrine.Besides, what the hedonistic schools consisted of.

The hedonists conclude that pleasure is sought to achieve its own sensation.

What is Hedonism?

Hedonism is considered as a branch or doctrine within philosophy, whose followers propose as the only purpose of life to achieve absolute and true pleasure .It is then that those who they make hedonism their way of life, it is often said that they seek to enjoy and take advantage of every moment lived, moving away from the pains and all evil, to fully achieve the end of this doctrine.

Within hedonism they can stand out regularly Moral theories, whose contents always emphasize the activities carried out by man, affirming then that in most cases, these activities are concretized to fulfill a particular interest.From here on, the hedonists conclude that only pleasure is sought to achieve its own sensation .

See also: Lasciviousness.

What is the origin of Hedonism?

Epicurus, a disciple of Democritus, was the first driver of Hedonism.

When you try to refer to the term hedonism, every action that allows man to find and therefore possess that emotional pleasure that is found is included within it.yearns for.This philosophy has been thought and analyzed many years ago and it can be said that its first driver and thinker is the philosopher of ancient Greece, Epicurus .

Epicurus was a philosopher Greek born in Samos and is in that same place where he was raised and educated during his childhood.He tells the story that at 14 he was transferred to the city of Teos, where he managed to continue his studies through the teachings of Nausifanes, Direct disciple of Democritus .Throughout his life, Epicurus was enlisted for a time in the military sector of his time and would then be returned to Athens, where he founded his own Garden and in which he taught until his death.

For Epicurus, the first driver of hedonism, happiness must be the unmistakable yearning of every man and for which he had to fight all his life to achieve it.In this supposed happiness that, for Epicurus , men had to reach, a certain order would have to be established in both material and spiritual wealth.

The search for pleasure proposed by hedonism has a directly subjective character , so that different individuals who have different points of view about things are generally called hedonistic.However, hedonism can be classified as ethical hedonism or psychological hedonism.

Ethical hedonism is confronted with the Epicurus school, therefore it is feasible to understand this first concept also as epicurean ethics. Epicurean ethics was extracted from the Epicurus school and argues that man, Although it must hold on to the corporeal pleasures (food, drink, materials, etc.), it must conceive as a priority those intellectual pleasures (love, wisdom, etc.), also called as superior pleasures.At the same time they affirm that individuals should use wisely his reason for being able to keep those things and feelings that grant, in a long period of time, happiness and pleasure.

However, hedonism is generally rejected by different religions , since they consider that it attentive in different ways to the principles they possess.The Catholicism, for example, directly rejects hedonism since its purpose-self-pleasure as a priority-goes against its dogmatic values, affirming then that it puts its own pleasure before God's will.

Hedonist schools

• Cyrenaic school: The philosophical school known as the Cyrenaic school was founded by Aristipo de Cirene, follower and disciple of Socrates.Its beginnings are strongly related to the megarica and cynical.However, the hedonism of the Cyrenaic school is usually divided between the followers of Aristipo, Hegesias and Theodore.This school concentrates characteristics of ethical hedonism and identifies the Pursuit of pleasure as the achievement of spiritual pleasure.Aristipo concludes that man must exterminate all his concerns to achieve his happiness and for this it is necessary to appeal to the autarchy.


• School of Epicurus or Epicureanism: The school of Epicurus or Epicureanism deals with hedonism and considers finding happiness through a rational search for pleasures.Epicureanism integrates each of the philosopher's teachings Greek Epicurus and each opinion or added by those followers of it.Unlike the Cyrenaic school, which overcame corporeal pleasure to achieve happiness, epicureanism held that true happiness was in intellectual pleasures.It states that there must be a perfect and absolute balance between mind and body to achieve happiness.more pure.

The ideas and teachings of Epicurus managed to sustain themselves for seven continuous centuries .Upon reaching the Middle Ages, they began to be forgotten with the appearance of Christianity and continuously, with the burning of many of the writings of this philosopher.