Hedonism is a theory which believes that ‘hedone’ or pleasure is the highest Good, the supreme ideal of life.
Hedonism assumes that human beings are sensuous in nature. Reason or intellect has secondary position in human nature. Reason points out the best means for the satisfaction of desires, passions and appetite. So some times hedonism is called as ethics of sensibility.
Hedonism assumes that human beings by nature seek pleasure and avoid pain. Men desire various objects which ultimately aim at pleasure.
Hedonism evaluates human actions on the basis of the consequences of actions i.e. pleasure and pain. Human conduct has a value in proportion to the amount of pleasure in it. The standard of morality for Hedonism is ‘pleasure’. A right action is that which produces pleasure. A wrong action is that which produces pain.
