“Nature equips us with feelings to determine value.” We are not born broken — we are born with the capacity to determine what is good and bad for ourselves.

From the moment of our birth humans (and many animals) use the perception of pleasure and pain as a guide — modern neuroscience calls this the “reward system” and it includes brain structures called “hedonic hotspots” (“hedonic” means “relating to pleasure”).

People want to do what makes them happy. This is common sense. But it is also the true definition of “living according to nature.” It’s natural. So what now?

The simple premise – pleasure, good, pain, bad — is easy to grasp but hard to hold. There is nuance in it. Many of us immediately think of well-known koans like “no pain no gain” or “nothing comes for free.” Another common argument against this idea is that it is a license to “do whatever!”

But consider this: as we mature and have greater capability, we understand that some pain may result in greater pleasure. For example, an enterprising person must work hard in order to feel accomplished. And we might choose to exercise (even though it is painful) because it makes us feel good, soothes anxiety about our health, and makes us healthier.

Remember that our purpose isn’t simply “pleasure,” it is “maximizing pleasure.” Without our health we are potentially limiting all pleasure to zero (death), or severely limiting our capabilities (bed-ridden), etc. On the other hand, sometimes releasing steam can be very good medicine for a troubled mind, so we might decide that letting off some steam is actually the right move in a particular context.

The trick of it is actually this: no one else can tell you the answer. It is based on feelings, and feelings are subjective — only you can answer the question “is my long-term health more important to me in this moment than blowing off some steam?”

What modern epicureanism provides is a tool — the Epic Calculation. The calculation is fairly simple to lay out: for any course of action, count up the amount of pleasure it will bring, and subtract the amount of pain it will cause. That which provides the greatest net pleasure is the correct course of action.

Next in the outline: There is no one right way to live

¹ Pleasure systems in the brain by Kent C. Berridge and Morten L. Kringelbach is available on the National Library of Medicine Web site.