I Made a New Friend
January 17, 2009 noizchild
Simone’s Notes:
Hedonism, as an ethical theory, claims that good and bad consist ultimately in pleasure and pain. Many hedonists, in accordance with Epicurus, emphasize avoiding suffering over pursuing pleasure, because they find that the greatest happiness lies in a tranquil state (ataraxia) free from pain and from the worrisome pursuit or unwelcome consequences of pleasure. For stoicism, the greatest good lies in reason and virtue, but the soul best reaches it through a kind of indifference (apatheia) to pleasure and pain: as a consequence, this doctrine has become identified with stern self-control in regard to suffering. Jeremy Bentham developed hedonistic utilitarianism, a popular doctrine in ethics, politics, and economics. Bentham argued that the right act or policy was that which would cause “the greatest happiness of the greatest number”. He suggested a procedure called hedonic or felicific calculus, for determining how much pleasure and pain would result from any action. John Stuart Mill improved and promoted the doctrine of hedonistic utilitarianism. Karl Popper, in The Open Society and Its Enemies, proposed a negative utilitarianism, which prioritizes the reduction of suffering over the enhancement of happiness when speaking of utility: “I believe that there is, from the ethical point of view, no symmetry between suffering and happiness, or between pain and pleasure. (…) human suffering makes a direct moral appeal for help, while there is no similar call to increase the happiness of a man who is doing well anyway.” David Pearce’s utilitarianism asks straightforwardly for the abolition of suffering. Many utilitarians, since Bentham, hold that the moral status of a being comes from its ability to feel pleasure and pain: therefore, moral agents should consider not only the interests of human beings but also those of animals. Richard Ryder developed such a view in his concepts of ‘speciesism’ and ‘painism’. Peter Singer’s writings, especially the book Animal Liberation, represent the leading edge of this kind of utilitarianism for animals as well as for people.
I was kept in hiding while Edward was in custody. I was hiding in an underground lab. I thought that I was alone. But then, I accidently pressed a button on the control panel when I leaned back and the screen behind me revealed Janine. She is a half-breed succubus. I was afraid of her at first. But then, we got to talking and we got along just fine. For once, I had found someone that I could talk to about my situation freely. I guess she was just happy to have someone to talk to. Maybe, I’ll be safe and free for once in my life. But I know this is not over yet! I just know it! I can feel it!
–Alex
New chap: http://ficwad.com/story/115714
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Entry Filed under: Maywillow High Kids and tagged: Alex Sheperd, Anaconda, anime, FMA, friendship, Fullmetal Alchemist, Improving, Janine, manga, Maywillow High Kids, relationships, romance, sexual, sexy, survival
