We all know Nozick's experience machine, Brave New World...just because people think they have a good life doesn't mean they actually do. — darthbarracuda
You wrote that what a good life is will forever remain a mystery. So when you say that "A good life is worth living; conversely, a bad life is not worth living." you're uttering nonsense, in the sense that you do not know what you are talking about. — hairy belly
Of course, then you only attack the first part, but it's only logical that if having a good life is impossible, because we can't know what a good life is, then, conversely, having a bad life is impossible too, because we can't know what a bad life is. — hairy belly
Meaningful/meaningless is a better pair of terms when it comes to justifying life. — hairy belly
I don't think that's a charitable interpretation of my argument. I said a complete representation of a good life will forever remain a mystery. — darthbarracuda
Again I don't think that's charitable and I sense you have not understood my argument. When a bad life is conceived as that which is not a good life, then if a good life is impossible, all lives are ipso facto bad lives. — darthbarracuda
Well, I would say that meaning in life is necessary for having a good life, but it's not obvious to me that it's sufficient. — darthbarracuda
Sorry, I don't mean to be flippant or rude, but I don't understand your objection. What do you find problematic about the idea that, while we can't have a complete conception of a good life, we can have a partial representations of it, but that because we fail to have a complete representation, we never attain a good life? — darthbarracuda
Anyway, the point is simple, you haven't shown why "the good life", or whatever, is a matter of belief and not emotion. Cause if it's not about belief but about emotion, then your whole idea is a category error or however you philosophically inclined people call it. — hairy belly
Okay, so you disagree with the initial premise. I never argued for it, that's fair. I did not include the possibility that utterances about life might be expressive rather than descriptive. If having a good life is not dependent on believing that one has a good life, then my argument fails, no question about it. But that's obvious. It is odd that it took you this long to make that point. — darthbarracuda
It seems fairly obvious that a good life doesnt entail recognition of it, especially when one accepts life can be objectively bad or good.
Whats your case for a good life requiring belief that that life is good? — DingoJones
"Stacey has a boyfriend named Paul." — darthbarracuda
"Stacey has a good life." — darthbarracuda
In order for your two statements to be analogous the “happy life” of the second statement would have to be referencing objective components/qualifiers of a happy life. As soon as you do that it completely undermines your point because then Staceys subjective opinion about her lifes happiness isnt determinate of Staceys happy life. — DingoJones
Well I asked for your case for recognition of life being good required for a good life and you responded with your Stacey scenarios which I pointed out doesnt really support that recognition of life being good being required for a good life. — DingoJones
"Stacey has a good life." — darthbarracuda
Is that correct? — DingoJones
Yes. Just as Stacey must believe that Paul is her boyfriend in order for Paul to be her boyfriend, Stacey must believe that she has a good life in order for her to have a good life. That is my claim. — darthbarracuda
Currently, an astonishing 45 percent of the 6 million pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended. — The Washington Post
I haven't a clue why you would.
— darthbarracuda
Embrace the suck! — James Riley
“Tut, tut, child!” said the Duchess. “Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.” And she squeezed herself up closer to Alice’s side as she spoke. — Lewis Carroll (Alice In Wonderland)
The first references facts, part of which is what “boyfriend” means by definition. The second references opinion, not facts. — DingoJones
Whether she is in pain is a fact, how much the pain hurts is subjective. — DingoJones
You can have people subjectively feel good they were born, but were still "forced" into an often harmful, inescapable game of life which was an injustice. — schopenhauer1
For what reason can it not be said how much the pain hurts, as a matter of fact? — darthbarracuda
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