Put another way, hedonism is the belief that happiness is derived externally, while eudaimonism expresses the idea that happiness comes from within.Īlthough at first glance, it would seem that the apparently nobler eudaimonia should triumph over hedonism as the proper explanation for happiness. The distinction between the two comes down to whether happiness is a destination (the hedonic view) or a journey (the eudaimonic philosophy). Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people. Eudaimonia defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better person. On the other side of the debate is eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words for "good" and "spirit" to describe the ideology. Over the years, hedonism has developed something of a bad image, as its focus is on propagating pleasure through any means available, including sexuality, excessive consumption, alcohol, drugs and other targets of religious and societal scorn.
Because of this, hedonists believe that the purpose of life is to maximize happiness, which minimizes misery. The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of suffering the presence of happiness indicates the absence of pain. The former, hedonia, is arguably the more famous (or notorious) of the two, though both find their roots in classical Greek philosophy.
They've boiled the debate over happiness down to a battle between two basic views, hedonia and eudaimonia.
Philosophers have investigated happiness more thoroughly than anyone.
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