Egoism And Pleasure

Some egoist believe that we are  born to or should pursue our self-interest,  seeking what pleases us or is pleasurable, and avoid what pains us, or is painful.

There is so much confusion out there about defining what is good for us (good pain is good for us and good pleasure is good for us, and we can and should pursue these) and how it is tautologous with what is pleasurable.

 There is as much haziness of boundaries about what constitutes good pain (dieting, self-control, the muscle burn that comes from a hard work out, and the social rejection felt  by siding with someone down and out against a bullying crowd of popular attackers, thus shunned for siding with the innocent victim). What constitutes bad pain is torturing or beating another, murdering another, verbal cruelty to another, committing suicide, the hangover felt after over-drinking, and coming down from a drug high.

What constitutes what is good pain and good pleasure or what is bad pain and bad pleasure are concepts that books of philosophy and ethics could be written about at length.

I  will limit it here to suggesting that the virtuous egoist would want to pursue or at least rise up to suffer good pain (fighting, getting wounded or dying to defend one's country) because it is the duty that the self must honor, and that morally and spiritually, that is what the self must do to be a good person, to please God and  to make it to heaven (grace, good works and heroic behavior all help one get to heaven).  Changing a dirty diaper on one's baby would be a good pain endured.

The virtuous egoist must shed bad pain (getting drunk, beating women children or pets), slamming one's fist into a concrete wall, murdering someone. Bad pain can be self-mutilation, or having a heart attack due to years of bad food and no exercise, or inflicting pain upon another.

The virtuous egoist would seek after good pleasure (watching football, writing a poem, saying a prayer, helping an old lady across the street, loving the self and others, solving a philosophical puzzle, growing flowers, solving a low voltage lighting short, eating pizza, enjoying sex with one's partner, self-actualizing).

The virtuous egoist would avoid bad pleasure (addiction of any kind, stealing, joyriding down the freeway and 135 mph endangering others, harming self or others, praying to or serving Satan).

The virtuous altruist would pursue good pleasure (allowing others to be free and self-absorbed and self-reliant) and good pain (willing to fight for his nation or family no matter the consequences, get up and work everyday no matter how grueling or tiring, etc.).

The wicked altruist would chase after bad pain and bad pleasure. A member of the Mafia or criminal gang or member of the SS would fit this role well.

If the virtuous egoist and virtuous altruist spread love and good power relations in the world (where people are allowed to maverize, live free, know love, knowledge and art, to know God, liberty and material plenty and good health), they would be close to spurning bad pain and bad pleasure, and embracing good pain and good pleasure.

If  the vicious egoist and vicious altruist hate themselves, serve the Evil Spirits, hate others, and push group-living, nonindividuation, hierarchical institutional living, socialism, totalitarianism and mob rule with a Stalin at the top of the heap, they have gone far towards eschewing good pleasure and good pain, and gather to themselves and increase the quantity and range of bad pain and bad pleasure.