Chapter 5

Chapter 5
The Good Life

What is a good life?
• one of the oldest philosophical questions

• posed in different ways
How should one live?
What does it mean to “live well”?
What is a good life?
(As viewed by philosophers and thinkers)
Plato and Socrates

emphasizes on virtue
Epicurus emphasizes
pleasure
Aristotle views the good

life as happiness
Moral Conception of the
Good Life
• One basic way we use the word “good” is to express moral
approval.
• Living well or that they have lived a good life, may simply mean
that they are a good person, someone who is courageous, honest,
trustworthy, kind, selfless, generous, helpful, loyal, principled,
and so on.
• They possess and practice many of the most important virtues.
• And they don’t spend all their time merely pursuing their own
pleasure;; they devote a certain amount of time to activities that
benefit others, perhaps through their engagement with family
and friends, or through their work, or through various voluntary
activities
Moral Conception of the Good Life
(Plato and Socrates)
“it is much better to suffer wrong than to do it;that a
good man who has his eyes gouged out and is
tortured to death is more fortunate than a corrupt
person who has used wealth and power
dishonorably”
-Socrates in Plato’s Gorgias-
“The morally good person, he claims, enjoys a sort

of inner harmony, whereas the wicked person, no
matter how rich and powerful he may be or how many
pleasure he enjoys, is disharmonious, fundamentally
at odds with himself and the world.”
-Plato, Republic-
Moral Conception of the Good Life
(Religion)
 Many religions also conceive of the good life in moral
terms as a life lived according to God’s laws.
 A person who lives this way— obeying the
commandments and performing the proper rituals—is
pious. And in most religions, such piety will be rewarded.
Obviously, many people do not receive their reward in this
life. But devout believers are confident that their piety will
not be in vain.
 Christian martyrs went singing to their deaths confident that
they would soon be in heaven.
 Hindus expect that the law of karma will ensure that
their good deeds and intentions will be rewarded, while
evil actions and desires will be punished, either in this life
or in future lives.
Good Life as Pleasure
(Epicurus)
Hedonism
view that pleasure is what makes life worth living
“epicure”
is someone who is especially appreciative of food and drink
“hedonist”
It suggests that they are devoted to what some have called
the “lower” pleasures such as sex, food, drink, and sensual
indulgence in general
Hedonistic Conception of Good Life
 Today, this hedonistic conception of the good life is

arguably dominant in Western culture. Even in
everyday speech, if we say someone is “living the
good life,” we probably mean that they enjoying lots
of recreational pleasures: good food, good wine,
skiing, scuba diving, lounging by the pool in the sun
with a cocktail and a beautiful partner.
 It emphasizes subjective experiences. On this view, to

describe a person as “happy” means that they “feel
good,” and a happy life is one that contains many “feel
good” experiences.
Good Life as Happiness
Good life is a happy life - Aristotle
 Happiness is something we value not as a means to

some other end but for its own sake. It has intrinsic
value rather than instrumental value.
 A person is happy if they are enjoying a positive state

of mind, and their life is happy if this is true for them
most of the time
The Ten Golden Rules on Living a
Good Life
(Michael Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas)
1. Examine life, engage life with a vengeance;; always search for

new pleasures and new destinies to reach with your mind.
2. Worry only about the things that are in your control, the
things that can be influenced and changed by your actions,
not about the things that are beyond your capacity to direct or
alter.
3. Treasure Friendship, the reciprocal attachment that fills the need

for affiliation. Friendship cannot be acquired in the market place,
but must be nurtured and treasured in relations imbued with trust
and amity.
Good Life
4. Experience True Pleasure. Avoid shallow and transient

pleasures. Keep your life simple. Seek calming pleasures that
contribute to peace of mind. True pleasure is disciplined and
restrained.
5. Master Yourself. Resist any external force that might delimit

thought and action;; stop deceiving yourself, believing only what
is personally useful and convenient;; complete liberty
necessitates a struggle within, a battle to subdue negative
psychological and spiritual forces that preclude a healthy
existence;; self-mastery requires ruthless candor
Good Life
6. Avoid Excess. Live life in harmony and balance. Avoid excesses.

Even good things, pursued or attained without moderation,
can become a source of misery and suffering.
7. Be a Responsible Human Being. Approach yourself with

honesty and thoroughness; maintain a kind of spiritual hygiene;
stop the blame-shifting for your errors and shortcomings.
8. Don’t Be a Prosperous Fool. Prosperity by itself is not a cure-all

against an ill-led life and may be a source of dangerous
foolishness. Money is a necessary but not a sufficient condition
for the good life, for happiness and wisdom.
Good Life
9. Don’t Do Evil to Others. Evil doing is a dangerous habit, a

kind of reflex too quickly resorted to and too easily justified that
has a lasting and damaging effect upon the quest for the good
life. Harming others claims two victims—the receiver of the harm,
and the victimizer, the one who does harm.
10. Kindness towards others tends to be rewarded. Kindness to

others is a good habit that supports and reinforces the quest for
the good life. Helping others bestows a sense of satisfaction that
has two beneficiaries—the beneficiary, the receiver of the help,
and the benefactor, the one who provides the help.
What is Human Existence?
Aristotle teaches that:
each man's life has a purpose and that the function of one's life is to attain
that purpose.
the purpose of life is earthly happiness or flourishing that can be achieved

via reason and the acquisition of virtue.
each human being should use his abilities to their fullest potential and should
obtain happiness and enjoyment through the exercise of their realized
capacities.
human achievements are animated by purpose and autonomy and that

people should take pride in being excellent at what they do.
human beings have a natural desire and capacity to know and understand the
truth, to pursue moral excellence, and to instantiate their ideals in the world
through action.
What is Human Existence?
 Plato’s reputation comes from his idealism of believing in the

existence of universalist. His Theory of Forms proposes that
universals do not physically exist, like objects, but as heavenly
forms.
 In the dialogue of Republic, the character of Socrates describes

the Form of the Good. His theory on justice in the soul relates to the
idea of happiness relevant to the question of the meaning of life.
 In Platonism, the meaning of life is in attaining the highest form of

knowledge, which is the Idea of the Good, from which all good and
just things derive utility and value.
What is Public Good?
 Rolando Gripaldo, a Filipino philosopher, argues that the concept

of the public good carries largely the politico-ethical sense, which
subsumes the politico- ethical senses.
 The public good is public in the sense that the beneficiaries are the
general public.
 The government or state pursues it with a service orientation while

private corporations pursue it with a profit orientation.
 He also cites mixed public goods which are pursued by private

organizations with a service motivation.
 Government corporations are basically motivated by service through

having profit is not precluded.
 He also talks about public bads, such as corruption, pollution and

crimes.
What is Public Good?
A public good is that which benefits by its use, the

communal or national public.
This can be perceived in two levels:

1. The first level comes from the people themselves,
2. The second level comes from the local or national
government.
Any Questions?
Thank you

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Chapter 5

The Good Life

• one of the oldest philosophical questions

Plato and Socrates

Aristotle views the good

“The morally good person, he claims, enjoys a sort

 Today, this hedonistic conception of the good life is

 It emphasizes subjective experiences. On this view, to

Good life is a happy life - Aristotle

 Happiness is something we value not as a means to

 A person is happy if they are enjoying a positive state

1. Examine life, engage life with a vengeance;; always search for

3. Treasure Friendship, the reciprocal attachment that fills the need

4. Experience True Pleasure. Avoid shallow and transient

5. Master Yourself. Resist any external force that might delimit

6. Avoid Excess. Live life in harmony and balance. Avoid excesses.

7. Be a Responsible Human Being. Approach yourself with

8. Don’t Be a Prosperous Fool. Prosperity by itself is not a cure-all

9. Don’t Do Evil to Others. Evil doing is a dangerous habit, a

10. Kindness towards others tends to be rewarded. Kindness to

Aristotle teaches that:

the purpose of life is earthly happiness or flourishing that can be achieved

human achievements are animated by purpose and autonomy and that

 Plato’s reputation comes from his idealism of believing in the

 In the dialogue of Republic, the character of Socrates describes

 In Platonism, the meaning of life is in attaining the highest form of

 Rolando Gripaldo, a Filipino philosopher, argues that the concept

 The government or state pursues it with a service orientation while

 He also cites mixed public goods which are pursued by private

 Government corporations are basically motivated by service through

 He also talks about public bads, such as corruption, pollution and

A public good is that which benefits by its use, the

This can be perceived in two levels:

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