What Makes a Good Life Good?

 

We all want to live a good life, where the relevant kind of goodness in question isn’t moral goodness, but a kind of goodness that is good for us. It is the distinct kind of goodness that we acquire when we are benefited by certain things, events, or states of affairs, and the measure by which we determine the degree to which our lives go well. The concept being alluded to here is that of well-being. Good lives in the sense just described are those that are high in well-being (also referred to as prudential value). Theories of well-being have traditionally fallen under three categories—hedonistic theories, desire-satisfaction theories, and objective list theories. This talk will introduce each of these three types of theories, discuss the problems with each one, and suggest which one is most promising.