The Irreducibility of Pleasure to Desire

One common answer to the question of the unity of pleasures is to try to define pleasantness by appealing to a kind of mental states whose unity is less questionable. Desires have been conceived as the best candidates for this unifying role. Indeed, one way of classifying the preceding options concerning the definition of pleasantness, is to constrast conative (or motivational) theories of pleasure with non conative ones. Conative theories of pleasure are often considered as one homogeneous type of pleasure reductionism1. But there are indeed two importantly distinct way of defined pleasure with the help of desire: one can define pleasures as objects of desires (D7) or as satisfactions of desires (D8). For convenience, I shall call desirabilist the theory of the first kind (D7) and satisfactionist the theories of the second kind (D8). In the following, I shall argue that both these options fail. On the assumption that D7 and D8 are the only desired-based account of pleasure, this implies that pleasure can’t be reduced to desire

Does the Fault System Optimally Control Primary Accident Costs?

For the purposes of this article, I shall assume that the sole aim of any system of accident law is the minimization of the sum of (a) accident costs and (b) the cost of avoiding accident costs. I include in the latter the cost in pleasure forgone of undertaking a relatively less desirable but less accident-prone activity, or—what is really the same thing—the cost of engaging in an activity in a safer but more expensive or less pleasurable way. I make this assumption for analytical purposes only. I do not for a moment believe this to be the only aim of accident law. The aim that a system of accident law be just or fair could only through a rather unhappy twisting of words—and valuation of things which cannot be valued—be made to come within my cost formulation. Yet fairness is ultimately a goal which any system of accident law must meet. Everything cannot be discussed at once, however, and, although I believe that the fault system can be shown to be quite unfair both relatively and absolutely, I will leave that demonstration to another piece

The role of cognitive and affective challenge in entertainment experience

Recent approaches in entertainment research highlight the distinction between hedonic (pleasure-seeking) and eudaimonic (truth-seeking) entertainment experiences. However, insights into the underlying processes that give rise to these different types of entertainment experiences are still scarce. This study examines the assumption that individuals’ entertainment experience varies by the level of cognitive and affective challenge posed by the media content. We tested this assumption in a 2 × 2 experiment in which we examined the effects of cognitive and affective challenge on individuals’ entertainment experience (fun, suspense, and appreciation). Cognitive and affective challenges resulted in stronger appreciation of the movie, affective challenges resulted in heightened suspense, whereas the absence of both cognitive and affective challenges fostered the experience of fun. These results further the theoretical understanding of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment in that they support the idea that fun is linked to recreation, whereas appreciation is linked to cognitive challenge and personal growth

The rising tensions between religion, eroticism and art: The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

This article proposes a reflection on the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, which blends religious practice and erotic pleasure. Georges Bataille’s assumption that eroticism and religiosity are complementary cultural constructions in search of overcoming the finitude and the discontinuity between human beings encompasses the presence of St. Sebastian in the contemporary art related to the photographic image. The implied cult of the Holy soldier’s sensuality in Renaissance and baroque paintings turns into explicit appropriation in the homoerotic iconography of the 20th century, as we can see in the openly biographical translations of the theme in the performance pictures by Yukio Mishima and Luigi Ontani and in Derek Jarman’s film "Sebastiane"

The Difference in Women’s Hedonic Lives: A Phenomenological Critique of Feminist Legal Theory

Part One of this article provides a phenomenological and hedonic critique of the conception of the human - and thus the female - that underlies liberal legal feminism. Part Two presents a phenomenological critique of the conception of the human - and thus the female - which underlies radical feminist legal criticism. Again, I will argue that in both cases the theory does not pay enough attention to feminism: liberal feminist legal theory owes more to liberalism than to feminism and radical feminist legal theory owes more to radicalism than it does to feminism. Both models accept a depiction of human nature which is simply untrue of women. Thus, both accept, uncritically, a claimed correlation between objective condition and subjective reality, which, I will argue, is untrue to women. As a result, both groups fail to address the distinctive quality of women\u27s subjective, hedonic lives, and the theories they have generated therefore have the potential to backfire - badly - against women\u27s true interests. In the concluding section I will suggest an alternative normative model for feminist legal criticism which aims neither for choice nor equality, but directly for women\u27s happiness, and a feminist legal theory which has as its critical focus the felt experience of women\u27s subjective, hedonic lives. My substantive claim is that women\u27s happiness or pleasure - as opposed to women\u27s freedom or equality - should be the ideal toward which feminist legal criticism and reform should be pressed, and that women\u27s misery, suffering and pain - as opposed to women\u27s oppression or subordination - is the evil we should resist. I will argue that feminist legal theorists, in short, have paid too much attention to the ideals of equality and autonomy and not enough attention to the hedonistic ideals of happiness and pleasure, and that correlatively we have paid too much attention to the evils of subordination and oppression, and not enough attention to the hedonistic evils of suffering and pain. My methodological assumption is that the key to moral decision-making lies in our capacity to empathize with the pain of others, and thereby resist the source of it, and not in our capacity for abstraction, generalization, or reason. My strategic claim is directly entailed: the major obstacle to achieving the empathic understanding which is the key to significant moral commitment, including the commitment of the legal system to address the causes of women\u27s suffering, is the striking difference between women\u27s and men\u27s internal lives, and more specifically, the different quality of our joys and sorrows. This obstacle can only be overcome through rich description of our internal hedonic lives

Silence. Communicative and Cultural Aspect

The aim of the article is to present the results of the analysis of silence in verbal communication from purely linguistical perspectives. It studies silent reactions comparing them not so much with verbal responses but creating oppositions between varieties of silent reactions, taken from authentic talking in four cultures: Belarusian, Russian, American and English. Our assumption is that oppositions between various types of silence can provide convincing data against a widely spread belief that silence is always derogative, submissive and referring to power. Studying intentions of unclear silent reactions in private conversations we discovered that they are often nothing but search for pleasure in silence. The recurrent meaning of the reactions is ‘I enjoy your company’, ‘I am happy being together’, ‘I am happy having a rest from the worries of the world’. Silent reactions of this kind are quite polysemantic, their exact meanings can be described with the help of such words as relaxation, pleasure, harmony, quietness. The variety of meanings of only one type of silent reactions makes it possible to claim that silence is a kind of code, used in communicative behavior along with other codes, verbal and nonverbal

Recreational reading habits of agricultural communications students

There is an assumption that students who read for pleasure are more successful students, but there is little academic literature to support this assumption (Gallik, 1999). A survey was conducted to assess the recreational reading habits of agricultural communications students at Oklahoma State University to determine if there is any relationship between self-reported reading habits and students' grade point average. Data was collected using Gallik's (1999) instrument, "Survey of recreational reading habits." Participants recorded how much they read during vacations and while school is in session as well as what types of materials they read. A statistically significant relationship was not found between reported GPAs and how much time students spent reading for pleasure while school is in session or during vacations. Participants reported reading more during vacations than while school is in session, but the majority of students spend less than six hours per week reading for pleasure, regardless of whether or not school is in session

ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE WORK ENVIRONMENT AND COMPENSATION ON WORK PERFORMANCE WITH JOB SATISFACTION AS A MEDIATION VARIABLE (Case Study SMAN 1 Margasari Tegal Regency)

Research aims to find out the influence of the work environment, compensation, and job satisfaction on Job Performance and know the influence that occurs indirectly on job satisfaction that acts as a mediator in SMAN 1 Margasari Tegal Regency. Quantitative descriptive research was used by researchers in this study. All Teachers and Staff Employees from SMAN 1 Margasari Tegal Regency became the object of this research. In the study, questionnaires became a data collection method used by researchers, with 52 respondents as sampling techniques.Validity and reliability tests are utilized by researchers to check records high-quality, with information analysis strategies used, particularly classical assumption checks, multiple linear regression exams, hypothesis checks and sobel exams. based at the outcomes of studies that has been accomplished suggests that the work surroundings has a extensive positive impact on paintings performance, reimbursement does not have a widespread fine effect on paintings performance, work environment has a significant fine effect on job pleasure, activity delight has a significant nice effect on work performance, job satisfaction can mediate the paintings surroundings on performance. work, and job pleasure cannot mediate reimbursement for work performance.Keywords: Work Environment, Compensation, Job Satisfaction, Job Performance

Id EFL Learning: An Implication For Learning Internalization

It is plausible that the psychoanalytic approach holds an important role in exploring people’s personalities, the world of conscious drives. The human personality is categorized into id, ego, and superego, while consciousness is divided into three different provinces, namely unconscious, subconscious, and conscious. However, limited language teachers’ interest in exploring such beneficial approach to learning is found. To respond to such gap, a systematic literature review was employed with following phases: identification, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis. Results revealed that four id EFL learning characteristics are primitive personality, biological identity, an instinct to seek pleasure, and automaticity. Hiding, covering, and undressing are the indicators of the primitive personality and are human biological responses to danger. On the other hand, the human senses, cognitive process, and speech organs define the EFL learners' biological personality. As for the automaticity learning, it seems to be achievable by unconscious learning and good learning culture. The basic assumption is that a higher-level skill cannot be acquired unless a lower one has been automatized. Applying such concepts, the characteristics of seeking pleasure to learn language, needs the creativity of EFL teachers, delightful teaching, good teaching culture, and facilities as once EFL learning automatized or internalized, enormous impact will be gained. Keywords: automaticity; EFL internalization; id; psychoanalysis; unconscious drive

Rationality and the Foundations of Positive Political Theory

In this paper, we discuss and debunk the four most common critiques of the rational choice research program (which we prefer to call Positive Political Theory) by explaining and advocating its foundations: the rationality assumption, component analysis (abstraction), strategic behavior, and theory building, in turn. We argue that the rationality assumption and component analysis, properly understood, can be seen to underlie all social science, despite the protestations of critics. We then discuss the two ways that PPT most clearly contributes to political science (i.e., what distinguishes it from other research programs), namely the introduction of strategic behavior (people do not just act; they interact) and PPT’s more careful attention to the theory-building step within the scientific method. We explain the roles of theory- building and of empirical “testing,” respectively, in scientific inquiry, and the criteria by which theories should and should not be judged