The pursuit of one's own pleasure as an end in itself; in ethics, the view that such a pursuit is the proper aim of all action. Since there are different conceptions of pleasure there are correspondingly different varieties of hedonism. Unless one's own pleasure can somehow be identified with that of others (see friendship ) hedonism stands opposed to the disinterested concern for others commonly thought to be an essential element of morality, although there are various ways of trying to align the pursuit of selfish pleasure with some degree of concern for others.
Philosophy dictionary. Academic. 2011.