“If it feels good, do it.” So the entire cast, all still naked, proclaims at the end of 1978 comedy porn Debbie Does Dallas. A bold end for the genre, but a sad one for us.
18th-Century philosopher Helvetius was all about hedonism: “Human beings are motivated solely by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. We have no freedom of choice because self-interest is the sole spring of judgement, action and affection.”
This is nothing new and nor will it ever get old. The idea is that we are our own worst enemy in this game, social media exposing our infantile selves. Why face misery and pain when you can save crush candy or save a king?
Neither does AI pull punches on the topic “Humanity’s hedonistic tendencies degrade cognitive ability, civic engagement and political will to address collective threats.” Sounds like time to take action, doesn’t it?
“Even in our sleep, pain which we cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of god.” (Aeschylus, Agamemnon)
In other words, either we figure out how to deal with the pain of living or else we’ll need Deus Ex Machina to get us out of the incinerator.
