The practice of calculating hedons and dolons (units of pleasure and pain) in order to arrive at a path of action that leads to net pleasure was invented by the Cyrenaic pleasure philosopher known as Anniceris, who is sometimes called a “proto-Epicurean”. In Epicurean writings, hedonic calculus is also spoken of in terms of measuring advantages versus disadvantages. PD 8 is a simple observation that justifies hedonic calculus. It calls for occasional deferred gratification. It says:
No pleasure is bad in itself; but the means of paying for some pleasures bring with them disturbances many times greater than the pleasures themselves.
In his Epistle to Menoeceus, Epicurus elaborated the process of hedonic calculus:
And because this is the primary and inborn good, we do not choose every pleasure. Instead, we pass up many pleasures when we will gain more of what we need from doing so. And we consider many pains to be better than pleasures, if we experience a greater pleasure for a long time from having endured those pains. So every pleasure is a good thing because its nature is favorable to us, yet not every pleasure is to be chosen — just as every pain is a bad thing, yet not every pain is always to be shunned. It is proper to make all these decisions through measuring things side by side and looking at both the advantages and disadvantages, for sometimes we treat a good thing as bad and a bad thing as good.
The easiest examples of this doctrine are found in our natural limits to drugs or alcohol, and to food. For instance, I can generally drink one beer and enjoy it, but by the second or third beer, I typically do not like how I feel, so I avoid drinking the second beer. I also remember the dehydration and other symptoms of a hangover, which keep me from being productive the following day. As for food, both gaining weight and the feeling of having eaten too much are unpleasant. One feels lethargic and tired, and one can’t think clearly when one overeats.
Another example of deferred gratification for me was when I decided to finish my college education. I had no social life, was very poor, ate Ramen noodles frequently, and had to work temp jobs on the side to make ends sort-of meet. It was a difficult time at the tail-end of a period of under-employment, but I had set a goal: I wanted to finish what I started years ago. With great pride, I graduated Magna Cum Laude (one of the highest honors). I had chosen a minor in Communication, which led to my book Tending the Epicurean Garden
Metrodorus of Lampsacus, the co-founder of Epicureanism, often reminded his companions that for the sake of certain goods we have to take certain risks and go through certain difficulties. He was always referring all moral problems to the process of hedonic calculus and to the related process of deferred gratification. He accentuated health and friendship as two goods for the sake of which we go to great lengths and make many sacrifices, because without them we suffer greatly. If we lose a friend or loved one, we suffer, so we may put up with discomforts to help them from time to time. If we lose our health, we suffer, so we may make dietary changes or exercise in order to preserve our health.
Hedonic calculus is the reason why Epicureanism is a hedonism with an asterisk, a qualified hedonism. It’s confusing to call it a hedonist ethics without elaborating on the concept of hedonic calculus and deferred gratification. So if someone ever asks you for a short introduction to Epicurean ethics, do not say it’s “just hedonism”: say it’s a pleasure ethics that calls for a calculated, rational pursuit of pleasure, using hedonic calculus and deferred gratification whenever prudent. If asked about hedonic calculus, you may cite PD 8 and the relevant portion of the Epistle to Menoeceus, or simply explain that it’s a calculation of pleasures versus pains, and/or of advantages versus disadvantages in order to carry out our choices and avoidances successfully (=producing net pleasure).
