Trevor Watkins 23/3/24
What defines a GOOD life?
There are many good answers.
The answers are different for everyone.
The answers change with time and circumstances.
Some answers are “gooder” than others.
But, Is there an absolute good?
Definitions
Here are some words that some people apply to a good life (you'll find many of these in facebook posts from your laid back friends)
Love, pleasure, courage, wisdom, knowledge, free time, truth, humility, chastity, wealth, health,happiness, freedom, common interest, family, survival, genes, species, reproduction, challenge, power, success, opinion of others, security, long life, eternal life, friends, companionship,comfort, order, chaos, pride, honour, purpose, legacy, religion, planet, beauty, justice, novelty, well-being, surfing, god
We can simplify the list by dividing it into categories:
Feelings
Love, pleasure, happiness, security, comfort, family, beauty, well-being
Virtues
Courage, wisdom, truth, humility, chastity, honour, purpose, justice, authenticity
Survival
Family, reproduction, genes, long life, eternal life, health, legacy
Success
Wealth, power, challenge, opinion of others, pride
Intellect
Wisdom, knowledge, truth, challenge, order, purpose, novelty
Existence
Freedom, free time, life, self actualisation, surfing
Service
Family, common interest, friends, companionship, religion, justice, god
Nature
Chaos, ecology, species, planet, animals
Is there some minimum standard of good?
Planetary survival
Species survival
Personal survival
Is there some common standard of good?
Food
Water
Sleep
Sex
Most should agree that
Family & friends & freedom are good
Love, pleasure, happiness, beauty, wisdom, well-being are good
But amazingly, some don’t… such as
Christians
Muslims
Nationalists
Nazis,
Nosey parkers & know-it-alls
Not all agree on the importance of
Security
Never more alive than when faced with the prospect of death
Health
Smokers, drinkers, drug takers
Safety
Extreme sports, surfing, rugby, boxing
Some believe that there should be no suffering, no pain, no conflict, no fear.
We should have peace, tranquility, harmony and order.
And this should be unchanging and eternal, and the same for everyone.
However, this describes death, which not all believe is good.
Lets look at the bigger picture. What is Nature's plan for the universe?
Increasing chaos (entropy)
Probably followed by contraction and compression of everything
Finally resulting in a very unstable marble
So much for the big picture …
Historic views
Plato
The highest form of knowledge is the Idea of the Good
Humans have a duty to pursue the good, through philosophical reasoning
Epicurus, father of hedonism
All we need for happiness is food, shelter, clothes, friends, freedom, thought
Believed that physical pleasure (bliss, contentment, relief) is the ultimate good.
He preferred pleasures of the mind to bodily pleasures
He advocated moderation as the surest path to happiness.
Utilitarianism of Bentham and Mill
Prioritized the good by considering pleasure, pain and consequences, based upon the maxim of utility; “That which is good is that which provides the greatest happiness for the greatest number.”
Popular even today, but deeply flawed.
Modern views
The ultimate good exists and is globally measurable
Economic Freedom of the World index
Gross National Happiness index
Genuine Progress Indicator
The good is "That which increases the quality and quantity of choices available overall."
Free time is the most fundamental good
The success of society as a whole
A single person's life is not important in itself
The flourishing of all sentient life - life itself is of intrinsic value
What is the greatest good?
God Knows.
As a disembodied spirit, separate from time, space and worldly concerns, I would guess the acquisition of perfect knowledge
As a living human being, here and now, Enjoy the ride!
My personal view
3F Principle
Family
Their love, safety and well-being
Freedom
Free time, free choices, free thoughts, free acts
Fun
Friends, sports, hobbies, travels, adventures, entertainments, achievements
