AI ALIGNMENT FORUM
AF

Wikitags

Hedon

Edited by diotimajsh, steven0461, et al. last updated 12th Jul 2012

The unit philosophers use to quantify pleasure. Hedons are abstract units with no standardized metric: the assignment of hedons to experiences is typically very broad, loose, subjective, and case dependent. Negative hedons can stand for whatever detracts from a pleasurable experience, or for pain -- though sometimes the unit used for pain is the "dolor".

For example, we might say that eating an ice cream cone yields 3 hedons to a normal individual, while solving an intensely difficult logic puzzle yields 15 hedons. The frustration undergone in the course of figuring out the puzzle might be judged as -20 hedons (or 20 dolors), depending on the puzzle's difficulty and the individual's temperament. The specific numbers chosen are generally not too important; the main point is to give a rough sketch of how the enjoyment of one experience relates to others.

Utilitarians often employ hedons to compare the expected net outcome of pleasure for a given scenario. Hedonism is an ethical theory that sees the maximization of hedons (and the minimization of dolors) as the most desirable good.

Blog Posts

  • Not for the Sake of Happiness (Alone)

See also

  • Utilitarianism, Hedonism
  • Fuzzies, Utils
  • Complexity of value

Discussion0
Discussion0