David Pearce

David Pearce is a philosopher whose Hedonistic Imperative advocates the abolition of all suffering through biological "paradise engineering" that would eliminate the ability to feel unpleasant emotions and would create a state of total bliss. One obvious objection to this idea is that it will take away all or at least some motivation to strive for improvements since, according to praxeological theory, all action results from a felt uneasiness. Pearce replies, "Now in response, one might say: so what? But rather than opting to become constitutionally serene, perhaps policy-makers persuaded by the stuck-in-a-rut objection should instead promote elements of what (very) crudely one may label dopaminergically-enhanced well-being - with its tendency to enhanced novelty-seeking, exploratory behaviour and intellectual curiosity."

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