Support Genuine happiness consists not in pleasurable feelings but instead in one's sense of approval of one's character and projects. ████ ███ █████ █████ ██ █████ █████ ██ ██ ███ ████ █████ █████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ██████████ ████████ ██ ███████ ██ █████ █████████ █ ████ ██ ████████ ██████████ ███ ██████ ██ █ ███████ ████████ █████
This argument has so many asides, it can be distracting. Here’s another version of the argument—same words, but the unnecessary information has been cut:
Genuine happiness consists in one’s sense of approval of one’s character and projects. Thus the happy life tends to be a morally virtuous life.
After reducing the argument to its structural support, the assumption is more visible: We need to know that a morally virtuous life is not inconsistent with one’s sense of self-approval in character and projects.
Which one of the following ██ ██ ██████████ ████████ ██ ███ █████████
A morally virtuous ████ ████████ ███ █████████ ██ ████████ ███████████
A morally virtuous life is not incompatible with material well-being. You can have both and still lead “the good life,” as long as you are morally virtuous.
People who approve ██ █████ ███ █████████ ███ ████████ ████ ██ ████ ███████ ████████ ██████
This must be true. If it isn’t, then there is no positive relationship between approving of your own character/projects and leading a morally virtuous life. The argument would fail without (B).
Approval of one's ███ █████████ ███ ████████ █████ ███ ██ ██████ ██ ███████████ █████████
Similarly to (A), these two things are not inconsistent with each other; they can coexist, along with being happy and morally virtuous. Pleasurable feelings don’t disqualify you from genuine happiness, it just doesn’t qualify you for it.
Attaining happiness is ███ ████ ████ ██ ██████ ███ ██████ ███ ████████ ███████████
We are not discussing “the real goal” of anyone, and we are not concerned with people who strive for material well-being.
Material well-being does ███ ████████ █████ █████ ██ ████████ ██ █████ █████████ ███ █████████
Like (A) and (C), these things are allowed to coexist. If negated, and material well-being does increase these things, that doesn’t harm the argument. The author is only saying that material well-being isn’t a guaranteed part of “the good life,” not that it can’t be a part of it.
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