Because what is 'pleasant' is a subjective thing, differing between individuals, such critics claim that 'qualities' of pleasures are difficult to study objectively and in terms of universal absolutes. They assert that generally, 'pleasures' do not necessarily share common traits, besides the fact that they can be seen as 'pleasurable'. It is therefore more difficult for them to indulge in such 'simple pleasures' in the same manner.Ĭritics of the qualitative approach, however, argue that there are several problems with it. The more elaborate beings tend to spend more thought on other matters and hence lessen the time for simple pleasure. Mill also argues that simpler beings (he often references pigs) have an easier access to the simpler pleasures since they do not see other aspects of life, they can simply indulge in their pleasures. Mill believed that there can be different levels of pleasure - higher quality pleasure is better than lower quality pleasure. Other proponents, like John Stuart Mill argue a qualitative approach.Essentially, he believed the value of a pleasure to be its intensity multiplied by its duration - so it was not just the number of pleasures, but their intensity and how long they lasted that must be taken into account. Bentham believed that the value of a pleasure could be quantitatively understood. One school, grouped around Jeremy Bentham, argues a quantitative approach.There are two basic schools of thought on hedonism: Though consistent in their pursuit of happiness, Bentham and Mill’s hedonistic values are faintly divergent in relation to their exposition of the principle of utility. Utilitarian value stands as a precursor to hedonistic values in that all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. The nineteenth-century British philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham established the fundamental principles of hedonism through their ethical theory of Utilitarianism. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize this total (pleasure minus pain). The first basic idea behind hedonistic thought is that all actions can be measured on the basis of how much pleasure and how little pain they produce.

Psychological hedonism