The Philosophy of the Good Life

This book explores the question What is a Good Life? from the perspectives of several major regulative ends characteristic of human lives. The question of what is a good life for a human being has been central in western classical, medieval, and early modern moral philosophy, as well as in much of oriental philosophy. With the rise of modern democracies, the industrial revolution, and the impact of such enlightenment philosophers as John Locke, Immanuel Kant, and more recently John Rawls, fresh emphases have emerged upon the character of a right or just life for a human being. In the wake of totalitarian violations of human rights and growing awareness of injustices to women and minorities, concentration upon rights and duties has given practical reinforcement to the current emphasis upon the legitimate demands of right and justice. However, very significant moral philosophers, including Sir Anthony Shaftesbury, Francis Hutchison, David Hume, Adam Smith, and growing numbers of contemporary writers, among whom are important advocates of virtue ethics, have continued to recognize the crucial role of the requirements of good life in any adequate moral philosophy or way of living. requirements of just community, to help to clarify and keep in appropriate focus the character and role of good life in any satisfactory moral philosophy or way of living.