Hedonism, an ancient heresy...

As I was reading through Saint Augustine's 5th century masterpiece, "City of God" and came across wonderful picture of hedonism and was taken aback by its' timeliness.

"Those philosophers who regard virtue as the ultimate human good try to make those others feel ashamed of themselves who think highly enough of the virtues, but subordinate them to physical pleasure, making pleasure an end to itself and virtues merely a means to this end. They do this by picturing Pleasure enthroned like a high-born queen, surrounded by ministering virtues who watch her every nod, ready to do what ever she bids....

Thus the virtues with all the glory of their dignity are made to minister to Pleasure, like the servants of an imperious, but ill-famed mistress."

Ah ha, I thought! This is Hedonism and it is apropos, I think, to call it an ancient (and ever modern) heresy. In fact, the Supreme Court of the United States still makes laws based on the hedonist world view. By the way, I intend to use the word MAKES since, it is, De Facto, what the Supreme Court does. On a side note, I do share the concern of Hamilton's interlocutor in Federal Paper # 78. As evidence of judicial, hedonistic activism, witness this peculiar passage from the Supreme Court case "Casey v. Planned Parenthood".

"At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State."

To borrow a colloquialism from modern American parlance....WTF? ! Talk about defining the meaning out of meaning!!!