Value and the Good Life

Thomas L. Carson

For as long as humans have pondered philosophical issues, they have contemplated “the good life.” Yet most suggestions about how to live a good life rest on assumptions about what the good life actually is. Thomas Carson here confronts that question from a fresh perspective. Surveying the history of philosophy, he addresses first-order questions about what is good and bad as well as metaethical questions concerning value judgments.

Carson considers a number of established viewpoints concerning the good life. He offers a new critique of Mill and Sidgwick’s classic arguments for the hedonistic theory of value, employing thought experiments that invite us to clarify our preferences by choosing between different kinds of lives. He also assesses the desire- or preference-satisfaction theory of value in detail and takes a fresh look at both Nietzsche’s Ubermensch ideal and Aristotle’s theory of the good life.

In exploring foundational questions, Carson observes that many established theories rest on undefended assumptions about the truth of moral realism. Arguing against this stand, he defends the view that “good” means “desirable” and presents a divine preference version of the desire-satisfaction theory. In this he contends that, if there exists a kind and omniscient God who created the universe, then what is good or bad is determined by His preferences; if such a God does not exist, what is good or bad depends on what we as rational humans desire.

Value and the Good Life is the only book that defends a divine preference theory of value as opposed to a divine command theory of right and wrong. It offers a masterfully constructed argument to an age-old question and will stimulate all who seek to know what the good life truly is.

Thomas L. Carson is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University of Chicago, and is co-editor of _Morality, Value, and the Good Life. _

“A fine and very thorough book. It sheds much light on the nature of pleasure, on Mill’s arguments for hedonism, on views that base what is good-in-itself on what we’d desire if we were fully rational, and on problems with taking ‘fully rational’ to include ‘fully informed.’”

—Harry J. Gensler, S.J., John Carroll University

“This is a fascinating book very clearly written and relentless in its argument. Carson knocks down the best arguments for moral realism, those of Moore, Broad, Ewing, Ross, the Cornell realists, and the contemporary British realists. In the end, he defines a divine preference theory of rationality as the most plausible theory of rationality consistent with moral antirealism. This is one of the very best discussion of these issues that I have ever read.”

—James Sterba, University of Notre Dame

“Carson has articulated an illuminating, path-breaking theory of values and the good life. His account of ideal preference-satisfaction is carefully developed in the context of classical philosophical work as well as cutting-edge recent contributions. Carson’s work is packed with arguments, clever thought experiments, and a fascinating conjecture about the role of theism in moral theory. It will be of interest to anyone concerned with moral theory, the theory of value, religious ethics, and the concepts of rationality, preference, and desire. I am very impressed with the work, and am happy to endorse a wide readership.”

—Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College

Reviews

“[T]horough and wide-ranging book … Carson’s book should be a useful guide to those who share his interest in developing a non-realist theory of value.” — Mind

“This is a well-organized, well-informed, and thoughtfully written study of precisely the topics indicated by the title. This is an up-to-date, well-informed, and wide-ranging book. Carson’s views are sensible and intelligently defended. Anyone interested in recent work in axiology or metaethics will find the book worthy of careful study.” — Ethics

“_Value and the Good Life_ is a very rich work, one that makes significant contributions to several contemporary debates, while also providing insights into the work of key historical figures…. Highly recommended.” — Philosophy in Review

“A fine and very thorough book. It sheds much light on the nature of pleasure, on Mill’s arguments for hedonism, on views that base what is good-in-itself on what we’d desire if we were fully rational, and on problems with taking ‘fully rational’ to include ‘fully informed.’” —Harry J. Gensler, S.J., John Carroll University

“This is a fascinating book very clearly written and relentless in its argument. Carson knocks down the best arguments for moral realism, those of Moore, Broad, Ewing, Ross, the Cornell realists, and the contemporary British realists. In the end, he defines a divine preference theory of rationality as the most plausible theory of rationality consistent with moral antirealism. This is one of the very best discussion of these issues that I have ever read.” —James Sterba, University of Notre Dame

“Carson has articulated an illuminating, path-breaking theory of values and the good life. His account of ideal preference-satisfaction is carefully developed in the context of classical philosophical work as well as cutting-edge recent contributions. Carson’s work is packed with arguments, clever thought experiments, and a fascinating conjecture about the role of theism in moral theory. It will be of interest to anyone concerned with moral theory, the theory of value, religious ethics, and the concepts of rationality, preference, and desire. I am very impressed with the work, and am happy to endorse a wide readership.” —Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College