C-028Well-Being and Its MeasurementConfidence: High
What Makes Someone's Life Go Best? Appendix I of Reasons and Persons
Parfit (1984)
One-Sentence Thesis
Theories about self-interest can be categorized into three kinds: Hedonistic Theories, Desire-Fulfilment Theories, and Objective List Theories, each attempting to define what makes someone's life go best.
Argument Outline
- 1Introduction to the concept of self-interest and its theories
- 2Discussion of Hedonistic Theories, including Narrow Hedonism and Preference-Hedonism
- 3Examination of Desire-Fulfilment Theories, including the Unrestricted Theory and the Success Theory
- 4Comparison and critique of the different theories
Key Distinctions
Hedonistic Theories vs. Desire-Fulfilment Theories vs. Objective List Theories
Narrow Hedonism vs. Preference-Hedonism
Unrestricted Theory vs. Success Theory
Key Terms
Hedonistic Theories
Theories that define self-interest in terms of happiness or pleasure
Desire-Fulfilment Theories
Theories that define self-interest in terms of the fulfilment of desires
Objective List Theories
Theories that define self-interest in terms of objective goods or bads, regardless of desires
Preference-Hedonism
A theory that defines pleasure in terms of preference
Success Theory
A theory that defines self-interest in terms of the fulfilment of desires about one's own life
Flashcards
32 cardsRelated Questions
3
In Parfit's "What Makes Someone's Life Go Best? Appendix I of Reasons and Persons", Parfit rejects which of the following?
3
In Parfit's "What Makes Someone's Life Go Best? Appendix I of Reasons and Persons", Objective List Theorist defines which of the following?
3
In Parfit's "What Makes Someone's Life Go Best? Appendix I of Reasons and Persons", Parfit criticizes which of the following?
3
Which theory defines self-interest in terms of the fulfilment of desires about one's own life?
4
Which of the following does Parfit criticizes in "What Makes Someone's Life Go Best? Appendix I of Reasons and Persons"?
3
In Parfit's "What Makes Someone's Life Go Best? Appendix I of Reasons and Persons", Plato mentions which of the following?