Philosophy of Pleasure

<p>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.</p><p>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 <i>only</i> 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:</p><ul> <li>The history of pleasure from ancient China India and Greece to modern times</li> <li>Pleasure sensation feeling and consciousness</li> <li>What scientific research reveals about the nature of pleasure – can pleasure be measured scientifically?</li> <li>Higher and lower pleasures</li> <li>The relation between happiness and pleasure</li> <li>Pleasure and pain</li> <li>Pleasure and animals</li> <li>Pleasure as an ultimate good and the relation between pleasure and rationality.</li> </ul><p><i>The Philosophy of Pleasure: An Introduction</i> is essential reading for students of ethics and political philosophy and also suitable for those studying related disciplines such as psychology politics and sociology.</p>