T3 Good Life

1. The Moral Life

2. The life of pleasure

3. The meaningful life

4. The finished life

Types of Good life

The Moral Life

a good life can mean being a good and virtuous person.

A morally good person possesses and practices virtues such as:

• Courage

• Honesty

• Trustworthiness

• Kindness

• Selflessness

• Generosity

• Helpfulness

• Loyalty

• Being principled

A good person does not only pursue personal pleasure. They also devote time to helping others through family, friends, work, or voluntary activities

Socrates and Plato

Both (1)__ and (2) _ gave priority to virtue over pleasure, wealth, and power.

• 1. argued that it is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong.

• In Gorgias, he argues that even someone who suffers greatly while remaining morally good is better off than a corrupt person who uses wealth and power dishonorably.

• In Republic, (2) describes the morally good person as having inner harmony.

• The wicked person, regardless of wealth or pleasure, is disharmonious and at odds with themselves and the world.

Virtue > wealth, power, and pleasure

Religion and the Moral Life

Many religions define the good life as living according to God's laws.

• Obeying commandments and performing proper rituals = piety

• Piety is expected to be rewarded.

• Christianity: martyrs may accept death because they believe they will reach heaven.

• Hinduism: karma ensures that good deeds and intentions are rewarded, while evil actions and desires are punished.

The Life of Pleasure

Main idea: A good life can be understood as a life containing pleasure and enjoyable experiences.

Epicurus

he argued that what makes life worth living is the ability to experience pleasure.

He actually argued against over-indulgence because:

1. Excessive pleasure can reduce pleasure in the long run.

2. Over-indulgence can cause health problems.

3. It can limit the range of pleasures available.

4. Higher pleasures, such as friendship and study, are at least as important as physical pleasures.

5. Epicurus still believed that the good life must be virtuous.

Hedonism

the view that pleasure is the good or that pleasure makes life worth living

Important: it is not excessive indulgence

Modern hedonism

a hedonistic conception of the good life is arguably dominant in Western culture.

Today, “living the good life” may commonly mean having:

• Good food

• Good wine

• Recreation

• Travel/adventure

• Relaxation

• Sensual enjoyment

Hedonism emphasizes subjective experience.

Happy = feeling good

Hedonism

pleasure is the good

Subjective

based on how the person experiences/feels something

The Fulfilled Life — Aristotle

Main idea: Aristotle sees the good life as a happy and flourishing life, but happiness is more than simply feeling good.

Aristotle argues that:

• We value many things as means to something else.

• Example: We value money because it allows us to buy things.

• We value leisure because it gives us time for our interests.

• Happiness is different because we value it for its own sake.

For him, Happiness has intrinsic value. But rejects purely subjective happiness

Intrinsic value

→ Something valued for its own sake.

Instrumental value

→ Something valued because it is a means to another end.

Condition	Meaning
Virtue	A person must be morally virtuous.
Health	Good health and a reasonably long life.
Prosperity	Being comfortably off and having freedom in one's work.
Friendship	Having good friends because humans are inherently social.
Respect	Having one's qualities and achievements recognized by others.
Luck	Avoiding tragic losses and serious misfortune.
Engagement	Especially important. Exercising uniquely human abilities, especially reason.

Aristotle's Conditions for the Good Life

The Meaningful Life

Main idea: A good life is not necessarily the same as a happy life. Meaning is another important dimension.

Having children, for example, does not necessarily make people happier. Parents may experience:

• Lower happiness

• Higher stress

Yet having children can give people a stronger sense of meaning.

Happiness

feeling good

Meaning

having something that gives life significance or purpose

The Finished Life

Main idea: We cannot always determine whether someone's life was truly good while they are still alive.

The Greeks said:

“Call no man happy until he’s dead.”

Westacott suggests that we might even say “until he’s long dead.”

Why?

Because a person who appears admirable during their lifetime may later be revealed to have behaved terribly.

• Enviable — contains desirable conditions.

• Admirable — morally worthy of respect.

Westacott favors an objectivist understanding of the good life.

A truly good life should be both:

Aristotle and Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle attempted to explain what the good is.

His central idea:

All human activities aim at some good.

Examples:

• Studying → completing education

• Training → becoming better at a sport

• Resting → restoring oneself

However, the good life is more than individual good actions.

It is characterized by happiness that comes from living and doing well.

Eudaimonia

= the ancient Greek concept of “living well and doing well.”

The chapter explains it as a life characterized by:

• Happiness

• Excellence

• Human flourishing

• Meaningful endeavors

• Becoming the best version of oneself

Examples:

• A student flourishes by studying well and fulfilling school responsibilities.

• An athlete flourishes by training hard and participating in competitions.

Aristotle

For __, happiness is the ultimate end of human action.

This means:

Happiness is pursued for its own sake.

Other things can be pursued as means toward happiness.

1. Intellectual Virtue

2. Moral Virtue

Aristotle’s Two Types of Virtue

Intellectual Virtue

• Develops through teaching

• Requires experience

• Requires time

Moral Virtue

• Develops through habit