untermensche
Contributor
untermensche said:My point is that it isn't something that automatically produces pleasure.
It certainly can, but that is a bit of a gamble, because it can also create incredible displeasure.
It isn't a path where future pleasure or displeasure are even considered.
It is a path people take because of incredibly strong subconscious impulses.
Most of what you say is true from both the perspective of the person having children and the perspective of the children themselves. However, as Togo says, I don't think it's a counterexample to universal hedonism/self-interest, because parents generally hope that long-term satisfaction will coincide with their choices in having and raising children. Surely you must think SOME people consider future pleasure when deciding whether to start a family?
I would think that the hedonist does what he knows will bring pleasure.
He knows pleasure and he seeks it.
Sex is pleasure, but raising a child may or may not be a pleasure.
But this direction is taken so often, despite no knowledge of assured pleasure, that I don't see how it could be driven by hedonism.
A mating instinct as driving force makes more sense to me than an expression of pleasure maximization.