Essay on Ethics: What Is the Good Life?
The Art of Attaining the Good Life
Sarah J. Thieme
PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Professor Galen Johnson
January 28, 2013
The Art of Attaining the Good Life What is the good life and how does one achieve it? This is a question that has been brought to the attention of many philosophers over human history. It can be reasonably argued that the modern person, especially westerners, consider income to be an important part to living the good life. There is little question anymore that income and happiness are indeed correlated in some ways, but does one have to attain wealth in order to be happy, to live the good life? Can a person think of themselves as “living the good life” even though they may be of a more austere status? Does wealth even really matter at all? This paper will aim to argue the point that attaining the good life successfully has more to do with virtue ethics, specifically attaining eudaimonia, in spite of statistics that do show happiness, or unhappiness, and income can be linked, and why virtue ethics may have more bearing on a person’s perception of living the good life than economics do. “Happiness is at a dead end” (O’Connor, 2009). This is how the award-winning psychotherapist Richard O’Connor begins his introduction in “Happiness: The Thinking Person’s Guide.” It’s a pretty strong declaration coming from a professionally trained western doctor, but not without reason. The comment was not made at the condemnation of happiness, but more as a signpost declaring we westerners have veered off course, quite some time ago, and arrived at a dead end in our search for happiness and attaining the good life. According to O’Connor, we first veered off course when we began thinking the road to happiness and the good life was down Prosperity Lane. That philosophy has its roots in our culture too with reason. A lot of evidence seems to indicate that income and happiness are positively associated. This is because income is related to a variety
Sarah J. Thieme
PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Professor Galen Johnson
January 28, 2013
The Art of Attaining the Good Life What is the good life and how does one achieve it? This is a question that has been brought to the attention of many philosophers over human history. It can be reasonably argued that the modern person, especially westerners, consider income to be an important part to living the good life. There is little question anymore that income and happiness are indeed correlated in some ways, but does one have to attain wealth in order to be happy, to live the good life? Can a person think of themselves as “living the good life” even though they may be of a more austere status? Does wealth even really matter at all? This paper will aim to argue the point that attaining the good life successfully has more to do with virtue ethics, specifically attaining eudaimonia, in spite of statistics that do show happiness, or unhappiness, and income can be linked, and why virtue ethics may have more bearing on a person’s perception of living the good life than economics do. “Happiness is at a dead end” (O’Connor, 2009). This is how the award-winning psychotherapist Richard O’Connor begins his introduction in “Happiness: The Thinking Person’s Guide.” It’s a pretty strong declaration coming from a professionally trained western doctor, but not without reason. The comment was not made at the condemnation of happiness, but more as a signpost declaring we westerners have veered off course, quite some time ago, and arrived at a dead end in our search for happiness and attaining the good life. According to O’Connor, we first veered off course when we began thinking the road to happiness and the good life was down Prosperity Lane. That philosophy has its roots in our culture too with reason. A lot of evidence seems to indicate that income and happiness are positively associated. This is because income is related to a variety
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