Three Types of Hedonism

Three Types of Hedonism: Psychological, Evaluative, Rationalizing

Hedonism is a broad category of philosophical though that encompasses any system that places “pleasure” as being the intrinsic good, or the only thing that is considered good by itself independent of all other things.

Hedonism is the philosophical principle that places pleasure and gratification as the intrinsic good. In other words, pleasure and gratification are the only things that can be deemed good by themselves independent of all other things.

There are three distinct types of hedonism differentiated by proponents of the doctrine that enjoyment is the good:

  1. Psychological Hedonism: Pleasure is the solitary possible purpose of desire or pursuit. This may be held on observational bases, or be thought to be dictated by the significance of ‘desire.’
  2. Evaluative Hedonism: Pleasure is what we are supposed to desire and pursue.
  3. Rationalizing Hedonism: Pleasure is the only object that makes a pursuit sensible.

References

Nine Elements of Organizational Performance

Nine Elements of Organizational Performance

  • Motivation: Inspiring and encouraging employees to perform and stay
  • Coordination and Control: Measuring and evaluating business performance and risk
  • Innovation: Generating a flow of ideas so that the organization is able to adapt
  • Leadership Team: Ensuring leaders shape and inspire the actions of others to drive better performance
  • Direction: Articulating where the organization is heading and how to get there, and aligning people
  • External Orientation: Engaging in constant two-way interactions with customers, suppliers, or other partners
  • Work Environment and Values: Shaping employee interactions and fostering a shared understanding of values
  • Capabilities: Ensuring internal skills and talent to support strategy and create competitive advantage
  • Accountability: Designing structures/reporting relationships and evaluating individual performance to ensure accountability and responsibility for business results

Charlie Munger on Three Considerations that Average Investors can Use for Better Returns

Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway's Vice-Chairman and partner of Warren Buffett

In a lunch that investor Mohnish Pabrai of Pabrai Funds had with Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway’s Vice-Chairman and partner of Warren Buffett, Charlie explained that an investment operation that focuses on three attributes would do exceedingly well.

  1. Carefully look at what the other great investors have done. Charlie endorses mirroring the investments of the most successful investors by learning from the 13Fs they might file. Look at what other great minds are doing.
  2. Look at the cannibals. Look thoroughly at the businesses that are buying back huge amounts of their stock. These businesses are eating themselves away, so Charlie describes them as the cannibals.
  3. Carefully study spinoffs. Joel Greenblatt of Gotham Capital has a whole book on spinoffs: “You Can Be a Stock Market Genius Too.” Overall the book discusses investment opportunities presented by circumstances that are usually not considered by the average investor: spin-offs, mergers, risk arbitrage, restructurings, rights offerings, bankruptcies, liquidations, and asset sales.

Charlie Munger believes that if an investor did just three things, the end results would be vastly better than the returns of an average investor.

Read this Motley Fool article on more of what Mohnish Pabrai learned from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.

VIETNAM: The Best Sights, Destinations, and Experiences (ASEAN Travel)

Flating Markets in Vietnam

Gorgeous beaches, buzzing, neon-lit cities, great food, idyllic countryside … there is little that this country does not have to offer. You may find yourself most comfortable on Hanoi’s slim by-lanes, or prefer the vast, open spaces of Holong Bay, but one thing’s for sure – Vietnam definitely punches above its weight.

Vietnam: At a Glance

Experience the Best Attractions of Vietnam

  1. Hoi An's Ancient Town Time Travel: A trip to Hoi An’s Ancient Town is a trip into another era—one of a cosmopolitan trading port with Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese influences. The narrow, sun-washed lanes are a joy to explore, with ancestral homes, assembly halls, and pagodas to stop in at for a break.
  2. Rice-paddy fields in Vietnam Easy Riders: Go back to a simpler time with a visit to Mai Chau. This verdant valley is a world away from the buzz of Vietnam’s cities, and is surrounded by rolling hills carpeted by lush rice-paddy fields. Mai Chau is also home to some hill tribes, and you could learn more about their culture by spending a night or two in their homes.
  3. Cal Be Floating market, River Mekong Market Days: Get a taste of modern-day Vietnamese life with a cruise down the River Mekong to the Cal Be floating market. This colorful market is where many locals trade in fresh fruits and vegetables.
  4. Con Dan Islands, Vietnam A Flash of Color: Once the home of Vietnamese prisoners, the pristine beauty of the Con Dan Islands will be quick to charm you. This chain of 15 islands is a lovely mix of great beaches, colorful reefs, stunning bays, and thick forest cover.
  5. Cu Chi Tunnels, near Ho Chi Minh City Tunnel Vision: No matter how much you may have read about it, nothing prepares you for the maze of tunnels that run under Cu Chi, near Ho Chi Minh City. These tunnels were used by the Vietnamese as a way to evade the American forces, and provide an insight to life through the Vietnamese War.
  6. Hue Perfume River, capital of the Nguyen Empire Hue Calling: Once the capital of the Nguyen Empire, Hue is worth spending a few days in. Bisected by the Perfume River, so called because in autumn, flowers from upstream scent its waters, this city has a wealth of architectural marvels to be discovered.
  7. Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Lessons Learned: For an introduction to Vietnam’s history, a visit to the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City is necessary. The Reunification Palace has been maintained as it was at the time of the Fall of Saigon. The War Remnants Museum, divided into three levels, explains the Vietnam War through photographs and accounts from survivors, and makes for a poignant experience.
  8. water puppet performance, Hanoi Water Ways: While you are in Hanoi, go for a water puppet performance. This enthralling show depicts Vietnamese life, and is great if you are travelling with kids. Modern Vietnam continues the theater tradition that started with farmers and the rural community using puppets that they held up as they stood up to their waists in the water of the rice paddies.
  9. Bun bo Hue, Vietnamese soup Meat Feast: Bun bo Hue is a central Vietnamese take on noodle soup. A rich, luscious broth filled with beef, pork, and thick rice noodles, this makes for a fuller meal than noodle meals in the north and south of the country.
  10. sand dunes of Mui lotus lakes Dune Deal: Look out across the desert-like horizon and you will wonder if you are in the Sahara. The sand dunes of Mui Ne seem as though they would be more at home there than in south-east Vietnam. Grab a board and surf the sandy waves, then stop and admire the lovely lotus lakes hidden within them.