Monday, July 8, 2019

Indefinite Dyad and Pleasure

The primary topic in the Philebus is the superiority of the Good over Pleasure.  Thus, the equivalence in it of Pleasure and the Unlimited suggests a role of the Indefinite Dyad in Ethics that has had far-reaching implications.  For, the Definite Dyad is the Indefinite Dyad made determinate by The One via quantification.  Thus, the quantification of Pleasure produces an instance of the Definite Dyad.  Hence, the Definite Dyad is a cardinal factor in Aristotle's doctrine, which entails the calculation of the Mean in the pursuit of Pleasure, and in Utilitarianism, the calculus of which is based on the quantification of Pleasure.  But, one significant difference between the two applications is that for Aristotle, as it is for Plato, control of Pleasure-seeking is the goal, whereas for Bentham and Mill, maximization of Pleasure is the goal. So, implicit in Utilitarianism, as well as in Hedonism, in general, is the superiority of the Indefinite Dyad over The One in at least one instance.

No comments:

Post a Comment