PHIL 1550 Chapter 1-21: The Fundamentals of Ethics - Russ Shafer-Landau
10 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Instrumentally valuable: something is good b/c it helps us to achieve some other good. Theory of well-being tells us which things are intrinsically good for us. Hedonist believes that happiness accompanies being healthy & intrinsically valuable. Epicurus is widely regarded as the first great hedonist in western philosophy. Attraction explains why there are many different types of good life. Claim that happiness has intrinsic value claim it is self-evident and is a starting point. Important distinction for hedonists = physical vs. attitudinal pleasure for thinking abt well-being. Hedonists regard rules abt how to live a good life as useful, but they have exceptions. Pain would sometimes be good for a person who sometimes enjoyed his/her own pain. Philippa foot people w/ lobotomies are sometimes happy & this is a problem for hedonism. Paradox of hedonism = those who try very hard to make themselves happy almost never succeed.
