How does the brain cause positive affective reactions to sensory pleasure? An answer to pleasure causation requires knowing not only which brain systems are activated by pleasant stimuli, but also which systems actually cause their positive affective properties. This paper focuses on brain causation of behavioral positive affective reactions to pleasant sensations, such as sweet tastes. Its goa...

the problem of pleasure is one of the long life, great, effective and much as disputable during the human history. and a variety of philosophical-ethical schools, and also religions, divine and non-divine have paid attention - affirmatively or negatively - to it since a long time ago. although, avicenna has been affected in his definition of the pleasure by scholars of the past, but he had not ...

In neoclassical economic theory, rational actors are very simple entities: they know everything, they value more better than less, and given a decision situation with certain physical constraints they are able to calculate the optimal outcome and to behave accordingly (cf. Kiser/Ostrom). Any form of social interaction enters the decision situation as an additional constraint. Relaxing the condi...

Abstract Epicurus posited that the best life involves greatest pleasures. He also held it attaining tranquillity. Many commentators, including Ken Binmore, have expressed scepticism these two claims are compatible. For, they argue, Epicurus’ tranquil is so austere hard to see how could be maximally pleasurable. Here, I offer an Epicurean account of pleasures consider different ways valuing live...