Eudaimonic vs. Hedonic PDF

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Mira Hickey WRTG 1150

Isn’t it crazy how a simple idea can change the way we look at our entire world? A few years ago, one idea did just that for me. It was told to me in a class called the Theory of Knowledge, and basically the sole purpose of that class was to make you leave believing that everything you thought you knew, you didn't. The concept is the idea of eudaimonic happiness versus hedonic happiness. Both are valid outlooks on happiness, but they are also opposites of each other. Hedonic happiness is the belief that to be the most happy, you must have as much fun as possible and spend the smallest amount of time doing things that are painful. So, if you’ve already had one piece of cake and there’s one more left that you’re eyeing, you’d probably eat it then instead of waiting to eat it until tomorrow. Eudaimonic happiness is the belief that to be the most happy, you must understand that the things that may cause short term happiness might not necessarily benefit your total well being. This person would probably look at the cake, consider the health factors involved with eating it, and realize that if they waited until tomorrow they could have cake tomorrow too. This concept kind of blew my mind. I’m the kind of person that loves definitions, so I was thrilled to finally have a way of explaining why I procrastinate. Think about it- procrastination is just the avoidance of the pain of doing something, which turns out to be an extremely hedonistic approach. This made me realize how much of my life is centered around hedonistic happiness. Even the things that seem so regular, like when my phone lights up, I need to check it as soon as I can reach it no matter what I’m doing. This idea made me reconsider my actions and see that maybe I could act with a few more eudaimonic intentions to make myself a more well rounded person....