Hedonism is the best philosophical stance for the good of society because it ensures that each member of the society works toward his or her greatest pleasure. Hedonism emphasizes the free, rational choice of each individual which stems from desire that is motivated by pleasure. It is, in other words, a totally non-coercive system that supports the development of a society of free, self-fulfilled, individuals.
Although hedonism can be considered as simply an aspect of ethical egoism, there are a number of variations within hedonism itself and it can fruitfully be explored as a separate philosophical category. According to Gosling (1969), variations among philosophers regarding hedonism tend to emerge from two main sources. First, philosophers often differ in regard to what they are attempting to accomplish. Second, philosophers can differ in regard to their view of the nature of pleasure. For example, he noted, philosophers from the British Empiricist tradition tend to think of pleasure as a sensation which feels the same in all instances, but results from widely differing experiences and situations. On the other hand, he indicated that philosophers working within the Greek tradition would tend to think of pleasures as very different.
Although these are refinements on the original conception, the argument for hedonism is the same whatever the variety. The hedonistic position is essentially one concerned with the choice of the individual in the case of free actions, rather than those which are committed under duress. It relies on the fundamental principle that "rational behaviour is characteristically chosen behaviour, and if chosen then free, and if free then done because wanted" (Goslin, 1969, p. 17). According to Gosling, it is only when people claim that they acted as they did because they wanted to that they can claim to have made a rational choice. He further noted that desire and pleasure can be correlated, and ...