Summary
Every Western tradition moral theory tells us what a good life is. However, most people would judge anyone embodying any Western moral theory as not living a good life. To most people, a good life is a life they would want for themselves and their children.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Most people think that a good life requires qualities that are not required in any Western theory moral tradition.
A
Most people desire a life for themselves and their children that is better than a merely good life.
We don’t know whether most people desire anything better than a good life. We only know the characteristics that most people believe a good life requires.
B
A person who fits the ideals of one moral theory in the Western tradition would not necessarily fit the ideals of another.
We don’t know if the ideals of Western tradition moral theories are different from one another. It could be that the ideals across all of these theories are the same. We only know that what most people believe is ideal is different from any moral theory of Western tradition.
C
Most people have a conception of a good life that does not match that of any moral theory in the Western tradition.
If most people believe that anyone who embodies any moral theory of Western tradition is not living a good life, then most people must believe that a good life entails something different than what any theory does.
D
A good life as described by moral theories in the Western tradition cannot be realized.
We don’t know whether it’s impossible to live a good life as described by moral theories in the Western tradition. Rather, what is being debated is what a good life entails, not if it is possible to live a good life.
E
It is impossible to develop a theory that accurately describes what a good life is.
We don’t know whether it’s impossible for a theory to describe a good life accurately. Just because most people disagree with these theories does not mean it’s impossible to accurately describe a good life.