Bryle Jimwel T.

Lecciones Diocese of Masbate

2nd Year Philosophy Prof: J. Gaite

Thought Piece #1:

Desire & Aversion to Reality
Jeremy Bentham is one of the philosophers that introduce and explain the sense and
the purpose of the Utilitarianism Theory. In some ways it tackles the pleasure and the pain of
the majority. “Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by
focusing on outcomes. It is a form of consequentialism.” 1In a clearer manner, utilitarianism
is seeking what is good or more pleasurable and avoiding what is evil or bad or can cause
pain in the majority. Compared in the study of Thomas Hobbes in his Ethical Motion, he also
has the form of the pain and pleasure that is well known as the Desire and the Aversion. As
we know that the object of desire is the thing that can give us goodness or pleasure, while the
object of the Aversion is something that can cause pain or that is evil or bad. Comparing the
study of Thomas Hobbes to utilitarianism, we can see that the people are about determining
what is pleasurable for them and avoiding what is evil or bad. “He defines good simply as
that which people desire and evil as that which they avoid, at least in the state of nature.”
2
And also, we can affirm that people have different things where they can find pleasure and
pain, where good and evil also underlie the subject notion. But utilitarianism is more likely
based on the greater good of the greater number, while Thomas Hobbes, focuses on the
pleasure and pain of individuality.

Putting the study of Thomas Hobbes in reality, pain and pleasure (desire &
aversion) has disadvantages and advantages. One of the advantages of looking at what is
pleasurable to us is we can attain or satisfy our desire about the specific thing or something,
and we can avoid pain or we can lessen the suffering that we can attain or encounter. But the
disadvantages of the seeking of pleasure and avoiding the pain, is that we sometimes agreed
with the apparent good or we seek or satisfy our desire to what is lesser evil because we can
say that not all thing that are pleasurable here on earth is good and we can say that not all
things that in pain is bad or evil. According to Socrates “life without experience and suffering

1
Utilitarianism - Ethics Unwrapped. (2023, February 22). Ethics Unwrapped.
https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/utilitarianism#:~:text=Utilitarianism%20is%20an%20ethical
%20theory%20that%20determines%20right%20from%20wrong,good%20for%20the%20greatest%20number.
2
Leviathan: Good and Evil as Appetite and Aversion | SparkNotes. (n.d.). SparkNotes.
https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/leviathan/idea-good-evil/#:~:text=Hobbes%20believed%20that
%20in%20man’s,in%20the%20state%20of%20nature.
is not life.” In connection, pain accompanies suffering. Suffering (pain) might sound negative
but it is the one which gives meaning to other terms such as comfort, happiness and
satisfaction which are more desirable.

One of my experiences about desire and aversion was way back in high school. I am a
little envious of my classmate’s achievement; he always places as a 1st but sometimes 2nd or
3rd honor student because I also desire to be an honor student, but the problem is I am a very
lazy man where for me in order to get into the honor list, is to cheat. I used to do it and satisfy
myself by placing as a 3rd honor student in our class, but in a mere fact, I feel regret at the
same time guilty and disappointed in myself because I realized that I am not really satisfied
that I got in the 3rd place spot because of cheating.

So, as a realization, I never took it again, studying as an aversion, suffering or pain

but I took it as a process for me to attain my ultimate desire, which is to be in the spot without
cheating or attaining my desire because choosing the lesser evil or apparent goodness.

As I challenge to myself, I can consider the study of Thomas Hobbes about the Desire
and Aversion of a person or individual but in a mere fact I need also to consider that not all of
what I desire is good and what is pain or to be avoided is an Aversion but sometimes I need
to look it as a process of attaining the more comfortable and satisfactory which is our desire
or the pleasurable things.