Well-Being: Happiness in a Worthwhile Life

265 Pages·2014·1.19 MB·English

by  Neera K. Badhwar

Well-Being

Well-Being
Happiness in a Worthwhile Life
Neera K. Badhwar
3
3
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Badhwar, Neera K
Well-being: happiness in a worthwhile life / Neera K. Badhwar.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–19–532327–6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Conduct of life. 2. Virtue.
3. Happiness. 4. Well-being. I. Title.
BJ1595.B235 2014
171'.3—dc23
2013045705
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
For Annika and Aidan
Wishing you much Happiness in a Worthwhile Life

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
PART ONE | Well-Being
CHAPTER 1 Introduction 3
CHAPTER 2 Well-Being as the Highest Prudential Good 29
CHAPTER 3 Well-Being: From Subjectivity to Objectivity 52
PART TWO | Autonomy, Realism, and Virtue
CHAPTER 4 Autonomy and Reality-Orientation 83
CHAPTER 5 Is Realism Really Bad for You? A Realistic
Response 118
CHAPTER 6 Virtue 143
PART THREE | Well-Being and Virtue
CHAPTER 7 Happy Villains and Stoic Sages, External Goods and the
Primacy of Virtue 183
CHAPTER 8 Conclusion: Taking Stock 222
Bibliography 229
Index 241

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’ve thought about the main idea of this book since I started thinking about
“life,” but the seed of the book was probably sown when I read and wrote a
response to Wayne Sumner’s book, Welfare, Happiness, and Ethics, for the
Fellows’ Seminar at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton
in 1996–1997. Many thanks to the faculty and the Fellows for making my
year there an intellectual feast, and to the University of Oklahoma and
Ray Elugardo, then chair of the philosophy department, for supporting my
leave in 1996–1997. It was many more years, however, before I decided to
use the response as a springboard for this book. A sabbatical at the Social
Philosophy and Policy Center in Spring 2008, and an Earhart Foundation
grant in 2010–2011, enabled me to make headway on the project. I thank
the SPPC and the Earhart Foundation for their support, as well as the
University of Oklahoma and Hugh Benson, then chair of the philosophy
department, for supporting my leave in 2008.
Many people have helped me whip this book into shape by commenting
on one or more chapters. Andrew I. Cohen organized a workshop on the
manuscript at Georgia State University in August 2011, and he, Andrew
Altman, Andrew J. Cohen, Marilyn Friedman, Christopher Freiman, Eddy
Nahmias, Richard Parry, George Rainbolt, and Hal Thorsrud participated
in the workshop. Lawrence Becker was unable to attend, but sent me
copious comments. I am immensely grateful to Andrew I. Cohen and the
Philosophy Department at Georgia State for the workshop, and to all the
commentators for taking several days out of their busy schedule to read,
comment on, and discuss the manuscript.
In September 2011, William Glod organized a workshop at the Institute
for Humane Studies and commented on several chapters. I am very grateful