The Philosophy of Pleasure

The Philosophy of Pleasure An Introduction

Hardback (03 Jun 2024)

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Publisher's Synopsis

The experience of pleasure, alongside pain, is a primary element of human life. It rules our instincts and desires for food, sex and avoiding various forms of harm. Crucial to psychological and social well-being, it has preoccupied philosophers from Aristotle to John Stuart Mill and plays a fundamental role in moral and ethical theory, especially utilitarianism. More recently, it has become a central subject for psychologists, biologists and neuroscientists.

Yet it remains an elusive and deceptively difficult concept. What is pleasure? How does it differ from happiness? Should we value pleasure? Should we value only pleasure? Which theories of pleasure are most plausible? In this rigorous and comprehensive introduction to the topic, Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek unpacks and assesses these questions and many more, including:

  • The history of pleasure from ancient China, India and Greece to modern times
  • Pleasure, sensation, feeling and consciousness
  • What scientific research reveals about the nature of pleasure - can pleasure be measured scientifically?
  • "Higher" and "lower" pleasures
  • The relation between happiness and pleasure
  • Pleasure and pain
  • Pleasure and animals
  • Pleasure as an ultimate good and the relation between pleasure and rationality.

The Philosophy of Pleasure: An Introduction is essential reading for students of ethics and political philosophy, and also suitable for those studying related disciplines such as psychology, politics and sociology.

About the Publisher

Routledge

Routledge

Routledge is the world's leading academic publisher in the Humanities and Social Sciences. We publish thousands of books and journals each year, serving scholars, instructors, and professional communities worldwide. Our current publishing programme encompasses groundbreaking textbooks and premier, peer-reviewed research in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Built Environment. We have partnered with many of the most influential societies and academic bodies to publish their journals and book series. Readers can access tens of thousands of print and e-books from our extensive catalogue of titles. Routledge is a member of Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.

Book information

ISBN: 9781138093102
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Imprint: Routledge
Pub date:
DEWEY: 171.4
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 152
Weight: 453g
Height: 216mm
Width: 138mm
Spine width: 11mm