Plato and Epicurus
Both Plato (in the Gorgias ) and Epicurus talk about higher and lower pleasures and about how the higher need less maintenance than the lower. But they have a different focal point. For Epicurus, the standard is twofold: attainment of pleasure and avoidance of pain and distress. Higher pleasures are higher because they are easier, more natural to attain and their loss brings less pain or disturbance. For Plato, on the other hand, we judge between pleasures on the basis of how they contribute to health of the soul, and we do so in a manner analogous to how we might determine which pleasures are best for the health of the body. So for Epicurus, pleasure is an end in itself, whereas for Plato pleasure is judged according to a standard that, while including pleasure, is ultimately directed toward something like the health of the body. And the health of the soul is more than just the ability to enjoy pleasure. The following thought experiment might help...