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From today's featured article

Aristippus, an early Greek proponent of philosophical hedonism

Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is a theory of motivation stating that the self-interested pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain drive all human conduct. Axiological hedonism is the view that pleasure is the sole source of intrinsic value. It asserts that other things, like knowledge and money, only have value insofar as they produce pleasure and reduce pain. Ethical hedonism applies this view to morality, arguing that people have a moral duty to pursue pleasure. Utilitarian versions aim to increase overall happiness for everyone, whereas egoistic versions state that each person should only look out for their own happiness. The paradox of hedonism and the hedonic treadmill are proposed psychological barriers to the hedonist goal of long-term happiness. As one of the oldest philosophical theories, hedonism was already discussed in ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese philosophy. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Chole bhature

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In the news

Sheikh Hasina

More than 300 students are kidnapped in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria.
Former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina (pictured) is found guilty of crimes against humanity in absentia by a Bangladeshi tribunal and sentenced to death.
In Canadian football, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Montreal Alouettes to win the Grey Cup.
In motorcycle racing, Marc Márquez wins the MotoGP World Championship.

On this day

November 25: Evacuation Day in New York City (1783)

Johan Ferrier in 1975

1510 – Adil Shahi–Portuguese conflicts: Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of Portuguese India, led an armada to conquer Goa.
1940 – The de Havilland Mosquito, one of the most successful military aircraft in the Second World War, made its first flight.
1960 – Three of the four Mirabal sisters, who opposed the dictatorship of military strongman Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, were beaten and strangled to death.
1970 – After failing to instigate a military coup to restore the powers of the Emperor of Japan, author Yukio Mishima and a member of his militia publicly committed ritual suicide.
1975 – Upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands, Johan Ferrier (pictured) became its first president.

Hu Zongxian (d. 1565)
Maurice Denis (b. 1870)
Thomas A. Hendricks (d. 1885)
Alexis Wright (b. 1950)

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Today's featured picture

The pink cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri) is a medium-sized cockatoo that inhabits arid and semi-arid inland areas across Australia, with the exception of the north east. The bird has a soft-textured white and salmon-pink plumage and a large, bright red and yellow crest. The sexes are quite similar although males are usually bigger, while the female has a broader yellow stripe on the crest and develops a red eye when mature. The pink cockatoo is usually found in pairs or small groups, and feeds both on the ground and in trees. Formerly known as Major Mitchell's cockatoo, after the explorer Major Thomas Mitchell, the species was officially renamed to pink cockatoo by BirdLife Australia in 2023, due to Mitchell's involvement in the massacre of Aboriginal people at Mount Dispersion and a general trend to make Australian species names more culturally inclusive. The bird is listed as endangered by the Australian government. This pink cockatoo in flight was photographed near Mount Grenfell in New South Wales, Australia.

Photograph credit: JJ Harrison

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