What is the opposite of being a Hedonist?

Question

Hedonist: "a philosophical doctrine that holds that pleasure is the highest good or the source of moral values"

Is the opposite being a manic depressive??

Answer 1

I think the opposite must be puritan

Answer 2

No. Manic depressive people simply fluctuate between states of extreme hyperactivity and extreme depression.

The opposite of a hedonist is an ascetic.
1. a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.
2. a person who leads an austerely simple life, esp. one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or denies himself or herself material satisfaction.
3. (in the early Christian church) a monk; hermit.

The word "prude" could also be applied effectively.

For example, it never says anywhere in the bible that you can't have sex before you're married. The ten commandments warn about "committing adulterey". However, between their ignorance and prudishness, contemporary christians genreally use this commandment to scare their children into abstaining from sex before marriage even though adulterey is actually defined as:

extramarital sex that willfully and maliciously interferes with marriage relations; "adultery is often cited as grounds for divorce

Answer 3

An ascetic is the opposite of a hedonist.

Answer 4

No - you can easily be a hedonist without being depressed about it as you can be in line with your own ethical beliefs - you can get pleasure from spirituality which is not hedonism.

The answer is: a hermit or a monk/nun.

Answer 5

I think Atheists present a very real threat to established religion and the control freaks - who get their jollies by being in charge of large numbers of believers - know this. As the atheist view points of view of "live and let live" and - you alone are responsible for your own actions - start to take hold in more and more areas of our lives - church leaders are faced with diminishing control and therefore decreased relevancy in the lives of their followers. Blind faith is the only way organized religion can stay alive in today's world - and they know it. Hence the demonetization of atheists by the church leaders is passed onto their herds as acceptable bigotry.

Answer 6

The opposite of being a hedonist is being altruistic, I would imagine

Answer 7

Yeah, Blaargh4 got it right. Ascetic is the opposite of hedonist.
Jon C

Answer 8

The opposite is surely an ascetic.

Definition: "One who renounces material comforts and practices extreme self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion."

Answer 9

I believe you are looking for "an ascetic"...a person who denies themselves physical pleasures in order to cultivate a higher goal. This is common in many religions--spartan furnishings, frugal diet, short sleep, like that.

Answer 10

Pedicurist?