Chapter Three

1. Do you think that Ted Bundy was happy? Why or why not? What might this imply about your idea of what it means to be a happy person? Explain.

2. Do you think that Bundy’s life went well for him? Why or why not? What are some ways in which his life could have gone better for him?

3. If you think that Bundy’s life did not go well, do you think that this would require us to also say that he was unhappy? Why or why not? What does this imply about the connection between happiness and well-being?

4. Define and explain the concept of well-being or living a good life. How is the good life different from the moral life?

5. Do you think the standards for evaluating a good life are universal or particular? What reasons can you offer to support your thinking?

6. Explain the difference between an evaluative term and a descriptive term. What are some examples of each, and how do they illustrate the distinction? Do you think that happiness is descriptive or evaluative? Why?

7. What reasons can be offered for thinking of happiness and well-being as different?

8. What reasons can be offered for thinking of happiness and well-being as the same?

9. What are the possible connections between happiness and well-being, if they refer to different concepts? Explain.

10. Explain the distinction between a self-regarding value and an other-regarding value and discuss how this applies to the difference between a happy life and a moral life. Why does Bishop Joseph Butler contend that the happy life and the moral life are never actually in conflict? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

11. What are the possible conceptual relationships between the happy life and the moral life? Explain each carefully. Which do you think comes closest to the truth? What reasons can you offer in support of your view?

12. Even if the happy life and the moral life are not directly conceptually connected, do you agree that that living morally will nonetheless causally contribute to living a happy life? Why or why not?

13. In a potential case of conflict, which do you think is more important: securing one’s private happiness or living morally? What reasons can you offer in support of your view?