Comments on: The Future is Happiness http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2010/04/the-future-is-happiness/ Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:15:58 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: elisa freschi http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2010/04/the-future-is-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-1973 elisa freschi Mon, 31 May 2010 19:02:15 +0000 http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/?p=710#comment-1973 Thanks, Nick and VS for these interesting points. My main doubt is the following: Nick seems to conflate happiness and pleasure. Sure, pleasure can give one a momentary happiness. However, there is a reason why one does not spend one's life eating chocolate. The reason, in my opinion is that one strives for a different kind of happiness, which is –at least for me– linked with significance. I felt happy whenever I knew that the fact that I was there had a purpose and a meaning. An artificial pleasure, such as the one one could gain through the happiness pill referred to in the next post entails the fact that one's Dasein were meaningless. Thanks, Nick and VS for these interesting points. My main doubt is the following: Nick seems to conflate happiness and pleasure. Sure, pleasure can give one a momentary happiness. However, there is a reason why one does not spend one’s life eating chocolate. The reason, in my opinion is that one strives for a different kind of happiness, which is –at least for me– linked with significance. I felt happy whenever I knew that the fact that I was there had a purpose and a meaning. An artificial pleasure, such as the one one could gain through the happiness pill referred to in the next post entails the fact that one’s Dasein were meaningless.

]]> By: Nick http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2010/04/the-future-is-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-1769 Nick Tue, 18 May 2010 12:18:02 +0000 http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/?p=710#comment-1769 Thank you for these valid points VS, I will address them in future posts. Thank you for these valid points VS, I will address them in future posts.

]]> By: VS http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2010/04/the-future-is-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-1660 VS Thu, 13 May 2010 05:42:01 +0000 http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/?p=710#comment-1660 Its a challenge to envision what the world would be in a few years from now. The technological advances you talk of may indeed become available and allow people to just stimulate certain areas in the brain to give the feeling that they are enjoying a particular pleasure. In this regard there are two points which need some more thought. One is about the processes of adaptation and addiction. Isnt it possible that a person may become adapted to the pleasure attained by such means and then increase the stimulus strength and/or frequency to keep attaining the pleasure? This would lead to some sort of addiction somewhat akin to taking drugs. The second point concerns free-will. Would people really prefer to stay in artificial environments and choose rewards without any stimulus? Pleasure as a reward after an effort makes things worthwhile and prevents unnecessary sensation seeking. Would free distribution of reward leave any scope for human beings to evolve or cause the race to decay? Its a challenge to envision what the world would be in a few years from now. The technological advances you talk of may indeed become available and allow people to just stimulate certain areas in the brain to give the feeling that they are enjoying a particular pleasure.

In this regard there are two points which need some more thought. One is about the processes of adaptation and addiction. Isnt it possible that a person may become adapted to the pleasure attained by such means and then increase the stimulus strength and/or frequency to keep attaining the pleasure? This would lead to some sort of addiction somewhat akin to taking drugs.

The second point concerns free-will. Would people really prefer to stay in artificial environments and choose rewards without any stimulus?

Pleasure as a reward after an effort makes things worthwhile and prevents unnecessary sensation seeking. Would free distribution of reward leave any scope for human beings to evolve or cause the race to decay?

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