Hedonology is the proposed scientific study of

pleasure Pleasure is experience that feels good, that involves the enjoyment of something. It contrasts with pain or suffering, which are forms of feeling bad. It is closely related to value, desire and action: humans and other conscious animals find ...

, aiming to systematically analyze the nature, causes, and effects of hedonic experiences. The term has been independently employed by several thinkers across different historical and intellectual contexts, each offering distinctive conceptions of its purpose and scope.

Etymology

The neologism hedonology was coined by British philosopher

John Grote John Grote (5 May 1813, Beckenham – 21 August 1866, Trumpington, Cambridgeshire) was an English moral philosopher and Anglican clergyman. Life and career The son of a banker, John Grote was younger brother to the historian, philosopher and ...

in the 19th century. Grote introduced the term to describe a science of pleasure that would analyze human experiences of enjoyment using reasoned and systematic methods. This terminological innovation was part of Grote’s broader effort to make philosophical language more precise and utilitarian, akin to the linguistic reforms undertaken by

Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 4 February Dual dating, 1747/8 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.

5 February 1748 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S. 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

– 6 June 1832) was an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer regarded as the founder of mo ...

, but with an emphasis on meaning and semantic clarity rather than nominalism. The

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

credits Grote with coining or re-coining over sixty terms, including hedonology, hedonics,

relativism Relativism is a family of philosophical views which deny claims to absolute objectivity within a particular domain and assert that valuations in that domain are relative to the perspective of an observer or the context in which they are assess ...

, and hedonometer, which reflect his efforts to rationalize philosophical vocabulary and the study of human well-being.

Development and applications

In moral philosophy

Grote's conception of hedonology was closely tied to

moral philosophy Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied et ...

. In his 1870 work ''An Examination of the Utilitarian Philosophy'', he considered hedonology as a potential basis for ethical systems, particularly those aligned with Benthamite utilitarianism. However, he acknowledged limitations in its explanatory power, especially in comparing qualitative differences in pleasures and addressing the complexities of moral decision-making. Philosopher

Henry Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (; 31 May 1838 – 28 August 1900) was an English Utilitarianism, utilitarian philosopher and economist and is best known in philosophy for his utilitarian treatise ''The Methods of Ethics''. His work in economics has also had a ...

later critiqued the notion of hedonology as a science primarily suited to Epicurean or Benthamite frameworks. While he appreciated Grote’s methodical approach to moral philosophy, Sidgwick questioned the scientific validity of hedonology, noting its inability to resolve the deeper complexities of ethical theories and the understanding of others' pleasures.

In psychological and physiological studies

The Italian physician and anthropologist

Paolo Mantegazza Paolo Mantegazza (; 31 October 1831 – 28 August 1910) was an Italian neurologist, physiologist, and anthropologist, known for his experimental investigation of coca leaves and its effects on the human psyche. He was also an author of fiction ...

also employed the term hedonology, but with a different emphasis. In his writings Mantegazza sought to establish hedonology as a scientific discipline dedicated to the classification and analysis of human pleasures. His methodology ranged from the study of sensory gratification to emotional and intellectual enjoyment, using taxonomic and empirical approaches.

Popular culture and other contexts

A minor and more anecdotal use of the term occurred in the early 20th century, when an associate of

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

named Jonas proposed a new science called hedonology aimed at studying human happiness. However, he reportedly believed such a science could only begin when economic conditions—such as the price of gasoline—improved, humorously highlighting practical constraints in pursuing theoretical ideals.

References