What does it mean to say that someone has had a “good” life?
What does it mean to say that someone has had a “good” life? Are some lives more meaningful than others? If so, why? If not, why not? Hedonists argue that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. An intrinsic good is something that is good for its own sake. It is automatically or necessarily better to have an intrinsic good than to not. An instrumental good is one that is good not for its own sake, but for what it brings about. For example, if you are taking this class for the credit then it is instrumentally valuable to you. If you are taking this class to learn about moral theories, then this class has intrinsic value for you. Philosophers like to test intuitions, or our gut reactions to various scenarios. These intuitions function like scientific data. We will engage with many thought experiments over the semester. The point of a thought experiment is to articulate what you think the agent or agents should do in the scenario and why. Do not attempt to change or avoid the decision posed by the experiment. Robert Nozick developed the “experience machine” to test the hedonist principle. The experience machine is a machine you could plug into and would give you a perfect simulation of whatever your desires and values are. If you love traveling then it would give you the experience of traveling all over the world. If you like struggling towards goals then it will give you experiences that challenge you so that you can feel satisfaction or success. However, the experiences are not real, they are only simulations. If it is the case that the only thing that is intrinsically valuable is pleasure, then we should embrace entering the experience machine. Secondly, we will think about what sorts of things are necessary for having a good life. If there were to be a list of goods that are necessary for having a meaningful life, regardless of whether people agree with that list, what would those goods be, and why? Is all that matters is that we enjoy our life, or should we strive to contribute good and value to the world as well?
