The philosophical belief that pleasure and happiness are the most important values in life and that people should pursue them above all else.
From Greek 'hedonē' (pleasure) plus '-ism' (a system of beliefs), entering English in the 18th century when philosophers seriously debated whether pleasure or duty should guide human behavior.
Ancient Epicureanism is often confused with hedonism, but Epicurus actually advocated for *simple* pleasures like friendship and philosophy over wild excess—the name got hijacked to mean the opposite.
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