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” Does hedonism bring happiness?”

Like anything else...yes, in moderation.

I think his point wasn’t “fun” or “momentary ecstasy” but deep happiness. The way he described it, fun was what you feel doing it, and happiness is what you feel after. Lots of hedonism probably makes you feel a little sick after (too much drink, food, or sex with your best friend’s wife, etc).

The moderation part makes it not hedonism. We want joy. We want moments of extreme fun and ecstasy. But you don’t want a permanent orgasm; it’s like being paralyzed and has more in common with pain than pleasure. We want general happiness in our life, and constraining our urges brings us more general contentment than acting like squirrels following instincts would.