ACT[ua]L Writings

  Enlightened Hedonism and Epicureanism > Image Above is Generated Using Stable Diffusion with [title] as the primary prompt  > Other images were generated in similar manner with section titles as primary prompt What is Hedonism Hedonism broadly refers to any system which considers pleasure as an intrinsic good. More specifically, it refers to any system which considers pleasure as the only good . This distinction is relevant as the former definition could theoretically apply to systems like Utilitarianism whereas the latter can only apply to more stereotypically hedonic views. Description and Prescription As with the similar field of egoism, a crucial distinction must be presented between the descriptive and the prescriptive views. A view is descriptive if it aims to describe some actual state of affairs in the world. Contra-wise, a view is prescriptive if it aims to actualise some alternate or possible state of affairs which may not actually be present in this world. Consid

A Tract on Materialism > Image Above is Generated Using Stable Diffusion with [title] as the primary prompt  > Other images were generated in similar manner with section titles as primary prompt What Is Materialism: Possession And Display Materialism [in the philosophical sense] is the firmly held belief that either (1) the possession or (2) the display of material either (a) will or (b) has the potential to bring a form of persistent satisfaction, perhaps satisfaction that could outlast the material itself. In its first form, it can be rightly called ‘pure’ and ‘formal materialism’. It is pure insofar as its end is itself; and it is formal insofar as its object is itself. The second species may be called ‘communal materialism’. It is communal insofar as its existence presupposes a community the likes of which the displayer can interact with. Though they are thus distinguishable, these two strains are nonetheless equally ‘materialistic’. For a less stringent analysis; the former