Hedonistic Calculus

    Hedonism is a derived from the Greek word hedone (meaning pleasure). Hedonism is the philosophical theory that the pursuit of pleasure and achieving it is the best goal one should strive for in life. Now how does this tie into calculus? I didn't know either, and to be honest, I still don't completely understand it. 

    Hedonistic Calculus was developed by Jeremy Bentham in the late 1780s. Bentham created this based on Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the theory that an action is morally correct only if it results in the most amount of pleasure or positive effects. There are 7 factors mentioned by Bentham in undertaking an activity, these are Intensity (I), Duration (D), Certainty (C), Propinquity (P), Fecundity (F), Purity (P), and Extent (E). 

    Let's break each one of these factors down briefly.

    1. Intensity: Bentham believed this value had a range from 0 to infinity. This range measures the value of pleasure and pain.

    2. Duration: This is pretty self-explanatory, basically the amount of time it takes for said activity.

    3. Certainty: The proportion of times success has been recorded when undertaking the action

    4. Propinquity: The length of time it takes for the pleasure to occur

    5. Fecundity: The probability that the said results (be it pleasure or pain) results in more pleasure or pain.

    6. Purity: The likelihood that the pleasure or pain will cause the opposite effect to occur.

    7. Extent: The total amount of pleasure that can be achieved by looking at other people who are affected by the same said action.

    Now that we know what these factors really mean. We can set up an equation in determining the things that we want to know in taking an action. The magnitude of pleasure is D times I (logically this makes sense as we feel the happiest when we achieve something using as less effort and as fast as possible). Certainty is the probability that the pleasure will occur. Consider H as the amount of pleasure and P as the amount of pain. A (the action) is equal to H-P. The only way an action is of worth is when the net value of pleasure and pain is positive. A negative net value only will result in a loss even though the goal is achieved. This calculation does not take into account propinquity. Even if D x I is high enough and H-P has a net difference of above 0. If P is extremely large in magnitude, even if D x I is positive and so is A, it might not be a smart decision to undertake the action.

    Reading and understanding this made my head hurt and I hope it made yours hurt as well. But thinking about it, this philosophy can be applied to so many things in our lives. I guess Bentham was pretty smart to think about this, even though everyone unconsciously apply this theory in their daily life.