Jean Kazez Southern Methodist University Necessities Jean Kazez Southern Methodist University

I want to live a good life I want to live a meaningful life same thing?

Very roughly... ...adds up to something ...has value A good life... ...has value A meaningful life... ...adds up to something What more can we say?

Taylor on the meaning of life

The Myth of Sisyphus The gods punished Sisyphus for stealing their secrets by forcing him to push a giant boulder up a hill forever. Over and over again it rolled back down, and he was forced to start all over again.

This is objectively meaningless... Taylor says... This is objectively meaningless...

Why objectively meaningless Why objectively meaningless? Taylor’s definition: a meaningful activity/life has some significant and lasting result.

The Myth of Sisyphus (Taylor’s revision) ... and then the gods took pity on Sisyphus, and injected a drug into his veins so that he would enjoy his endless labors.

I want to keep pushing!

TAYLOR’S ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVELY MEANINGLESS BUT I want to keep pushing! OBJECTIVELY MEANINGLESS BUT SUBJECTIVELY MEANINGFUL NEED EXTRA CLICK

What does any of this have to do with our lives?

(1) Objective meaninglessness... the ugly worms, p. 23 migrating birds, p. 24 busy street, p. 24 country road, p. 25

Can objective meaninglessness be avoided? (p. 25) heaven (think Tolstoy) Platonic forms earthly ideals such as universal justice and brotherhood (compare Singer)

(2) Subjective Meaningfulness “our deep interest in what we find ourselves doing” (p. 25-6) back to the ruined house— “the day was sufficient unto itself” (p. 27) this should remind you of Frankfurt’s “care theory” of the good life

Last two paragraphs (p. 27-8) Taylor’s Conclusion We should be satisfied with living lives that are (1) objectively meaningless (2) subjectively meaningful Last two paragraphs (p. 27-8)

My life is objectively meaningless? What, me worry? I LOVE LIFE!

What do you think? Is life really objectively meaningless? Does Taylor define “meaningful” correctly? Is it “enough” for life to be subjectively meaningful? What about Singer’s claim that an ethical life is particularly meaningful?

The Meaningful life The Good Life EXTRA CLICK

IS THIS A GOOD LIFE? I want to keep pushing!

THE DESIRE VIEW OF THE GOOD LIFE A good life contains lots of good Good = desire fulfillment (3) Sisyphus has lots of fulfilled desire (C) Sisyphus has a good life

Tempting, but...

Desire fulfillment isn’t always good

Desires implanted by the gods Desires implanted by advertising Desires manipulated by bad people Desires that are adaptive— “I want it because it’s easier if I just adapt”

revise

Or move on?

The Tree of (the Good) Life Simple Happiness View Objective List View Desire View Aristotle Cultural Relativism Inflexible One-size-fits-all Extreme Relativism Flexible Relativism Absolutism

Objective list view* ingredient etc. .... Items are on the list NOT because we desire them, and NOT because they make us happy, BUT because they are intrinsically good. Shafer-Landau calls it “The Objective View”

Recipe for a good life A-LIST necessities MUST HAVE ALL if one is missing, life is flawed B-LIST OPTIONAL INTErchangEable if one missing, life need not be flawed

Discovering the necessities books movies examples draw on other theories thought experiments avoid ethnocentrism

What must we change to make his life a good one? I want to keep pushing!

Autonomy I’M GOING TO BECOME A...

What is autonomy? Being author of your own life Controlling where you live, what work you do, how you do the work, what hours you work

What’s “enough”? arranged marriage (of adults, of children) Did Galileo’s daughter have enough? Could a slave have enough?

Self MY OPINION IS... I LIKE...

Nowhere man-- “Doesn’t have a point of view, knows not where he’s going to” —The Beatles

Morality THOU SHALT NOT...

Why is it necessary? Why does adding morality to the life of Sisyphus make it a better life? Morality as cure for profound isolation Morality as cure for finitude

Happiness AWESOME!!!

Happiness can come from Helping orphans Listening to music Eating a lot of ice cream Torturing kittens Magic Drug DOES IT MATTER?

Maggie and Magic Drug

Happiness comes from good I’M FREE... AWESOME!

American Cancer Society Constance Beethoven Land’s End fashions American Cancer Society Reads the bible Same from 21 to 81

Progress I NEED A CHANGE...

The List Autonomy Self Morality Happiness Happiness from good sources Progress Other?

The new life of Sisyphus

The Tree of the Good Life Hedonism Objective List View Desire View Aristotle Cultural Relativism Inflexible One-size-fits-all Extreme Relativism Flexible Relativism Absolutism

Decisions, decisions... 1. same value choices 2. different value choices 3. morality/other value choices Chapters 7-8

Necessities not on list?

All you need is love?

A. Love relationships  an optional ingredient ☐ one of the necessities  an optional ingredient  instrumentally important for securing happiness and other goods

“Find what you love” the trumpet chemistry medicine Jane Austen etc. B. Loving X “Find what you love” the trumpet chemistry medicine Jane Austen etc.

Harry Frankfurt, The Reasons of Love Love is foundation of value No love-independent “objective” list

How to have a good life find what/whom you love loving it makes it seem to have intrinsic value add that loved thing to your live presto: a good life!

This sounds familiar...

Is the love view any more plausible than the desire view?

I love it! IS THIS A GOOD LIFE?

Loving X is... ☐ The reason why those things matter  Instrumentally important for securing happiness, morality, self, etc. ☐ The reason why those things matter

What’s play got to do with it?

What’s God got to do with it?

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