Maximizing Pleasure and Minimizing Pain

Pleasure versus pain. Pain versus pleasure. In Epicureans’ arguments, they state that one should maximize pleasure and minimize pain. However, is minimizing pain really a way to live life? Clearly, most people want more pleasure than pain, but would we have pleasure if we didn’t have pain? Would we know pleasure if we didn’t have pain? First to clarify, I am not saying that Epicurean argument states that we should not have pain.

Epicurean values state that one should have ataraxia and aponia, the freedom from fear and the absence of pain respectively. Experiencing both of these would equal the true definition of pleasure. Maximizing pleasure would then equal minimizing fear and pain. However, if one does not feel great amounts of fear or pain, can they feel great amounts of pleasure? For example, a friend of mine experienced some very mentally painful things for a long period of time. Now my friend is experiencing great amounts of pleasure and is essentially happy. The question it raises, though, is that would he really be this happy or have a pleasurable life if he did not go through pain and fear.

Epicurean arguments also state that pleasure is the only intrinsic good, or good for its own sake. However, in most cases, it is not the only intrinsic good. Justice is considered to be an intrinsic good, according to Plato. Justice is good for its own sake, as in one should act justly because it is a rational or reasonable thing to do. Virtuosity is good for its own sake because it is virtuous. All of these can be intrinsic goods, even pleasure. But it is a flawed argument to say that it the only intrinsic good.

Now I don’t believe that Epicurean arguments are trying to say that maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain are bad things. Nor am I trying to say that one cannot have pleasure if they don’t have pain. Epicurean arguments just seem to be flawed into making it seem that these are the only goods in the world and only way to be fulfilled in a way. I might have stated before that one cannot have pleasure if they don’t have pain, but what I really meant and what it really boils down to is, would one really know if they are experiencing great amounts of pleasure if he/she has not experienced great amounts of pain (or if they are trying to minimize said pain)?