Pleasure, should we always follow it?

Introduction

For us to answer this question it is important to realize just what exactly "pleasure" is, it is far more than just a feeling or a fleeting thing, no instead it should be thought of as the bread crumb nature has giving us to an overall pleasurable life. 

THE CANON OF TRUTH

To understand what pleasure truly is to an Epicurean you and I must have some understanding of the Canon. The Canon itself deserves a lot of discussion (and has been giving it here by Cassus) but for the sake of intelligibility and time I will attempt to describe it in a few words

"The Canon of Truth is the methodology which Epicureans use to determine what is true/false and what path to take in life" 

So ignore the part about true/false for now and focus on the section "what path to take", you see one of the key components of the Canon is known as "feelings" and these feelings are pleasure and pain, pleasure tells us how to pursue and pain tells us what to avoid.

Explanation

Now does this mean that you always take the pleasurable choice? No, remember our goal is to have a pleasurable life overall not just in the short term. (although short term pleasures are fine)

Now any Irish (and most European) people between the ages of 14-100 know that drinking 8 pints in one night, while fun at the time, (well, depending on your luck) by the morning after you will want to die and will swear off drink forever.

So we must use the virtue of prudence, not because this virtue is some end goal but simply because it will lead to a pleasurable life. Instead of 8 pints, drink 4 and the pleasure without the pain!

Conclusion

Pleasure is always good, the pleasure itself is NEVER bad but the consequences of the pleasure (e.g. a mega hangover) is bad so we deny the pleasure and drink less because overall it will be the more pleasurable choice.

The next post will be "Pain, should we always avoid it?"