A Philosophy: Hedonism and Its Effects on Muslim Attitudes and Behaviour

Research Report Written by Qadeem Zieman

INTRODUCTION TO HEDONISM - PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY

Philosophy wise, it has been claimed that the theory of ‘Hedonism’ is that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.

According to Wikipedia, the term 'hedonism' comes from the Greek word that means 'pleasure'. The criminal tries to seek pleasure and avoid pain. The criminal justice system employs different forms of hedonism. According to psychological hedonism, criminal behaviour is motivated. They are motivated by the pursuit of pleasure.

Hedonism is the belief that pleasure, or the absence of pain, is the most important principle in determining the morality of a potential course of action. Pleasure can be things like “sex, drugs, and alcohol consumption,” but it can also include any intrinsically valuable experience like reading a good book.

psychological hedonism, in philosophical psychology, the view that all human action is ultimately motivated by desires for pleasure and the avoidance of pain

CRIMINOLOGY

Central tenets of the classical school of criminology include rationality, hedonism, punishment, human rights, and due process. Hedonism is when people seek to avoid pain and pursue pleasure. The classical school of criminology influenced modern judicial systems because the latter assumes rationality of citizens.

Ethical hedonists believe that every individual has a right to do anything within their power to attain ultimate pleasure with minimum pain. Hedonism is believed to have started by a student of Socrates who was known as Aristippus of Cyrene.

People who have a hedonistic lifestyle tend to be consumptive because they seek satisfaction and enjoyment in their lives through the consumption of products and services. They believe that having lots of things and experiencing lots of pleasures is the way to achieve happiness.

In hedonism, a person can commit a crime or violate the law, because people who adhere to this belief tend to do anything even if they have to violate the law, only to fulfil their own pleasure, without thinking of the consequence.

The criminal justice system employs different forms of hedonism. According to psychological hedonism, criminal behaviour is motivated by it. Crime is primarily the outcome of multiple adverse social, economic, cultural and family conditions. Central tenets of the classical school of criminology include rationality, hedonism, punishment, human rights, and due process. The classical school of criminology influenced modern judicial systems because the latter assumes rationality of citizens. In one form, hedonistic egoism, justifies actions so long as they bring oneself pleasure. For example, if one found pleasure in murder, they would be morally obligated to murder.

WORLDVIEW ON HEDONISM

Hedonism is all about maximizing the pleasure a person feels in the present, so hedonists tend to enjoy living in the moment rather than worrying about the past or future. They can be very spontaneous and might prioritize things that'll make them happy now rather than waiting to get that gratitude in the future.

A hedonistic person is committed to seeking sensual pleasure — the type of guy you might find in a massage parlour or at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES

Islam regulates the way of human life based on needs and does not splurge, making enjoyment the goal of life. The Prophet warns his people not to be extravagant, greedy, or oblivious to the world. Islam disagrees with the notion of hedonism because hedonism is only a pursuit of physical modernity. Islam does not teach such things, as quoted in the translation in Q.S. Hud, verse 116, which says 'And those who do wrong only mourn the luxurious pleasures that they have, and they are sinners.' even more, for young people, the culture of hedonism seems to have become an ideology which is not a taboo anymore. However, Islam also emphasizes that everything that happens to humans is a good thing as long one is able to be responsible.

THE EFFECTS OF HEDONISM

1. Financial Issues

Excessive consumption in a hedonistic lifestyle can lead to financial problems and financial stress, such as excessive debt and unnecessary spending of money.

2. Health Problems

A hedonistic lifestyle that includes overeating, drinking alcohol, and spending time in unhealthy activities can reduce the quality of life and negatively affect health.

3. Social Issues

Hedonism is able to bring social problems to one's life. Makes people egocentric and ignores the needs and feelings of others, creates social problems, and affects interpersonal relationships.

4. Environmental Issues

Excessive consumption and unsustainable hedonistic lifestyles can affect the environment and accelerate environmental degradation.

However, it's obvious that this simple definition of hedonism has a cost. Putting personal pleasure over your responsibilities to others is not only selfish, but it may be self-destructive in the long term. It certainly sidelines other sources of meaning in life. Whether hedonism is seen as positive or negative is subjective. Many people, however, do not see hedonism as a good thing, and since no one knows for sure what the meaning of this particular term is, because just like eating candy, one might say that it is good, while the other might say that it is not good for the health.

To conclude this theory, it is safe to say that everything in life has a price to pay. Just like consuming painkillers, taking the right kinds of pills, with the correct amounts of doses could help you soothe the pain, at least for a short period of time. However, there’s no doubt that overdosing on any kind of substance has the ability to weaken your body fatally.

THE CAUSE OF HEDONISM

1. Misinterpretation of Religion

As much as Islam is a religion of peace and togetherness, just like the issues we have with the influence of toxic masculinity amongst the youth, there are some people who are classified to be the promoter of the ‘toxicity’ of religion. Like in the United States of America, where people often look at religion as a forced cult in an unpleasant way. We must also remember how many millions of Native Americans were executed by the Christians many years ago for refusing to commit to the religion of Christ, which then lead to some people to rebel due to the ultra-strict enforcement given by the society.

Whereas in Brunei, a country that often gets criticism from their civilised neighbours actually turns out to be a pretty liveable place to call home, despite of its strict religious enforcements of for example, stoned to death and public canning. The particular reason for this is the good understanding and acceptance of others who are different by the society, as well as good awareness and respect given by the communities.

2. Curiosity

It is undoubtedly easy to say, and understand that the cause of this habitual behaviour in humans is developed by the feeling of never being satisfied, and always wanting something more, and the urge to constantly brushing off feelings of pain, or running away from things that are considered to be a burden are also some of the first characteristics of people who have hedonism. They believe that happiness is the main goal that must be fulfilled by every human being, especially themselves.

This factor is perhaps caused by the lack of exposure to a certain kind of lifestyle. As a reference, there is a Malay saying that goes, “Bila beruk masuk ke bandar”, which means when the ape enters the city. When a person moves from a ‘kampung’ to a city for the first time, for sure it would be a quite big of a change, and same thing goes to when a city-man enters the countryside for the first time, he would either hate it or immediately fall in love with the views and sceneries of the green paddy fields. And sometimes, it's true what they say, "Curiosity killed the cat" is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. It also implies that being curious can sometimes lead to danger or misfortune. The original form of the proverb, now rarely used, was "Care killed the cat".

3. Influence

Have you ever heard of another saying that goes “You are what you eat”? in this case, it is more fit for the saying to be altered to “You are what you surround yourself with”

It may be a little awkward to bring up some factors of Christianity studies into Islamic studies research. However, in this case, there is a quote by Sadhguru on the qualities of Jesus, or Prophet Isa PBUH when he was nailed at the age of 32. The video goes on to say; “This is true with every one of us, if world throws nastiness, you will become nasty, if world throws bitterness, you will become bitter, if the world throws anger, you will become angry. This is the way most human beings live”. It is indeed true, as humans, we are no Prophet, and we are all simply human beings who are weak, and at times can easily be influenced by anyone, and sometimes, it’s not always a good influence.

1) Childhood Influence

Perhaps this is a commonly undiscussed and over-discussed point. Wherever you go, in whatever country you may be in, there is almost a zero percent of chances of running away from this phrase, “I wonder who raised this child” may it be a good kid or a bad one, the parents or the guardian would always come up as the main reason for a child’s behaviour as quoted in an article from Newswav.com titled ‘Stop Blaming Parents, They Could Only Do So Much!’. And that is because when a child is still developing, they must always be provided with good modules and teachings to go by.

Quite a number of parents are lacking of awareness when raising a child, for example, not setting up rules and teachings to go by, which would then result to their kids being unaware of the possible circumstances. Like partying up all night long without having to worry about their grades, some parents also tend to overlook the importance of Islamic teachings in the household, that even the simplest thing like reciting the du’a before dining is often forgotten.

2) Environmental Factors

But what if the ‘child’ is no longer in the age group of a child, should the parents still be blamed for the upbringing they had as a kid? As kids grow older, and venture through an adulthood phase, it is their responsibility and job to know how to differentiate between what’s good and what’s wrong, and to decide whether to do the do’s or the don'ts… Parents could only do so much, especially when the son or daughter has a mind of their own, they of course want the best for their kids but what are the odds if the kids were to choose a route that is 360 degrees different from what’s been taught at home?

A father could be a disciplined police officer and the son could still be a burglar if that is what he chose to be, and the mother could be a well-established English journo and it is not impossible for the daughter to not be able to speak good English or get good grades, if that is not what she fancies.

Parents could indeed only do so much, and anymore than that is simply just too much to handle, for when a child grows up and enter the world of adulthood, he is now responsible for making his own decisions. And once quoting the statement from the past point, “We are all simply human beings who are weak, and at times can easily be influenced by anyone, and sometimes, it’s not always a good influence.” And this influence could be received from various of different sources such as on online platforms, along the lines of the contents on TV, unethical lyrics in songs, posts on social media platforms, and of course, ‘Peer Coaching’.

These sources could potentially be both beneficial and detrimental to one’s qualities, according to the way it is being used.

THE EFFECTS ON MUSLIM ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOUR

While hedonism can provide short-term satisfaction and enjoyment, this lifestyle can create long-term problems. Starting from deteriorating health, financial problems, and social problems. Such hedonism tends to trigger crime, individualism, laziness, free-sex, insecurity, and consumptive.

The lack of religion awareness and understanding, along with the oversaturated practices of hedonism contributes to the issues of:

1. Failure to understand the importance of one’s religious belief

2. Absence in the mosques to play their role as a practicing Muslim

3. Lack of awareness to understand one’s belief on a personal level

4. One might develop a potential to end up being a disbeliever @ an Atheist

The stated kind of behaviour caused by the absence of religious and custom education they had in the family and social lives. Therefore, it is important for us not only as Muslims, but as human beings in general to limit our hedonistic lifestyle, in order to live a more meaningful life.

References/Sources:

Moore, Andrew, 2004. “Hedonism” . The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Kurt Lampe, 2014. The Birth of Hedonism: The Cyrenaic Philosophers and Pleasure as a Way of Life.

Olivia Goldhill, August 18, 2018. Hedonism holds the secret to a happier life, but not for the reasons you think. QZ.com https://qz.com/1356786/hedonism-holds-the-secret-to-a-happier-life-but-not-for-the-reasons-you-think

Amanda Ferguson, December 16, 2022. Hedonism Definition, Theories & Criticism. Study.com https://study.com/academy/lesson/hedonism-theory-types-examples.html#:~:text=Ethical%20hedonism%2C%20or%20normative%20hedonism,be%20morally%20obligated%20to%20murder.

MATTHEW DOWLING, December 19, 2017. Worldview: The Problem of Hedonism. http://www.matthewdowling.org/2017/12/worldview-problem-of-hedonism.html

Qadeem Zieman, September 22, 2023 Stop Blaming Parents, They Could Only Do So Much! . Newswav.com | Family & Parenting. https://newswav.com/article/stop-blaming-parents-they-could-only-do-so-much-A2309_u8OcCa

Qadeem Zieman, February 5, 2024. Paris of Malaya Is Making a Return? | How Hard Is It to Provide Sex Education at School?! Newswav.com | Politics. https://newswav.com/article/paris-of-malaya-is-making-a-return-how-hard-is-it-to-provide-sex-education-A2402_amoPnW