{"id":120831,"date":"2024-01-14T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T15:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=120831"},"modified":"2024-01-15T12:19:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T16:19:55","slug":"what-makes-a-good-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes a Good Life? 3 Perspectives From Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What makes a good life? What have prominent philosophers taught about living well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on which philosophy you follow, there are many perspectives on what a good life is. Some say a good life is living according to reason, others say it&#8217;s dedicating yourself to something greater, and yet others say there is no such thing as a good life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on to learn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-live-a-good-life\/\">how to live a good life<\/a> from Aristotle, Nietzsche, and other philosophers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-considering-what-makes-a-good-life\">Considering What Makes a Good Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In our complicated world, we\u2019re bombarded with messages about how we should live our lives. But is there a single \u201cbest\u201d or \u201cright\u201d way to live? If so, what makes a good life?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll examine different answers to these questions from significant philosophers and spiritualists like Aristotle (<em>Nicomachean Ethics<\/em>) and Friedrich Nietzsche (<em>Thus Spoke Zarathustra<\/em>). We\u2019ll distill their complex arguments into three main perspectives on what a good life looks like: living according to reason, dedicating yourself to a larger project or goal, and abandoning any fixed idea of \u201cgoodness\u201d altogether. Our exploration of each perspective explains why its proponents consider it the best way to live, and we\u2019ll outline how to apply their \u201cgood life\u201d principles in your own life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-perspective-1-a-good-life-is-aligned-with-reason\">Perspective #1: A Good Life Is Aligned With Reason<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first perspective on what makes a good life involves <em>living rationally<\/em>\u2014<strong>considering the options available to you, weighing their possible outcomes, and choosing the best option<\/strong>\u2014rather than making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/moral-choices\/\">moral decisions<\/a> based on momentary whims, impulses, or intuitions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius and ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle offer two different approaches to living a good, rational life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-choose-reason-over-emotion\">1) Choose Reason Over Emotion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Marcus Aurelius (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/meditations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Meditations<\/em><\/a>) believes <strong>a good, rational life is lived strictly according to reason and nothing else<\/strong>. He explains that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/meditations\/books-4-6#always-remember-logos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the universe itself functions according to reason alone<\/a>\u2014that is, rules and systems work in harmony to ensure that whatever is supposed to happen, happens. Therefore, by living in alignment with reason, you become in harmony with the universe and your role in it. This makes you not only morally good but also good at the \u201cjob\u201d of existing as a human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-align-reason-and-emotion\">2) Align Reason and Emotion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike Marcus Aurelius, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle\u2019s (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/nicomachean-ethics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Nicomachean Ethics<\/em><\/a>) <strong>ideal rational life allows for emotion\u2014but <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/nicomachean-ethics\/1-page-summary#developing-moral-virtue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>only after you\u2019ve \u201ctrained\u201d your emotions to align with reason<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> In other words, if you rationally think something is moral, you\u2019ll feel positively about it. But if you rationally think something is immoral, you\u2019ll feel negatively about it. Aristotle believes aligning emotion and reason\u2014rather than eliminating emotion\u2014is important because a good person isn\u2019t emotionally unaffected by moral goods and evils. They desire good and are repulsed by evil, and these emotions help motivate them to live morally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-perspective-2-a-good-life-is-dedicated-to-something-greater\">Perspective #2: A Good Life Is Dedicated to Something Greater<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The second perspective on a good life emphasizes <strong>dedication to a project, concept, or ideal larger than yourself as an individual.<\/strong> This understanding of a good life is based less on your internal development\u2014improving and following your reasoning skills, for example\u2014and more on your interactions with the external world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this section, we\u2019ll explore two versions of this philosophical perspective: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/living-a-good-life\/\">living a good life<\/a> by dedicating yourself to <em>society<\/em> and living a good life by dedicating yourself to the <em>universe<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dedicate-yourself-to-society\">Dedicate Yourself to Society<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Many philosophers believe that, to live a good life, you must dedicate yourself to the larger project of contributing to and improving your society.<\/strong> In the <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-analects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Analects<\/em><\/a>, ancient Chinese philosopher <strong>Confucius says you can do this by <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-analects\/1-page-summary#traditional-values-respect-and-family-obligation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>respecting your superiors and fulfilling your obligations<\/strong><\/a><strong> to family and community.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dedicate-yourself-to-the-universe\">Dedicate Yourself to the Universe<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Other scholars take a cosmic perspective on what it means to be part of something larger than yourself. Spiritualist author Alan Watts (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-book\/1-page-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Book<\/em><\/a>) argues that <strong>the best way to live is by viewing yourself as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-become-one-with-the-universe\/\">one with the universe<\/a>. <\/strong>He explains that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-book\/1-page-summary#the-cosmic-being-framework-everything-is-relative\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">every living being, object, and idea in the universe exists in relation to others<\/a>\u2014in other words, <strong>any individual being, object, or idea only exists as a result of interacting or contrasting with the things around it<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-perspective-3-there-is-no-good-life\">Perspective #3: There Is No Good Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike the previous philosophers discussed, some authors argue that <strong>you shouldn\u2019t worry about living a good life at all\u2014they either believe a good life doesn\u2019t exist, or believe it\u2019s impossible to know what a good life is.<\/strong> These authors believe the best way to live is by rejecting any fixed standard of \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and 20th-century French author Albert Camus offer two different perspectives on why you shouldn\u2019t pursue goodness and how you should live instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-goodness-doesn-t-exist\">Goodness Doesn\u2019t Exist<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Nietzsche (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thus-spoke-zarathustra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Thus Spoke Zarathustra<\/em><\/a>) argues <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thus-spoke-zarathustra#how-humans-should-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">there\u2019s no universal standard of a \u201cgood\u201d life<\/a>. To him, morality is all relative\u2014what\u2019s good to one person might be evil to another, and it\u2019s impossible to get around this. Nietzsche argues that,<strong> rather than worrying about morality, the best people contribute the most to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/history-of-human-evolution\/\">evolution of mankind<\/a>.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his argument, Nietzsche refers to evolution in the Darwinian sense\u2014certain people survive and reproduce more due to naturally selected traits, and this pattern changes the nature of the species. According to him, <strong>social conformity and mediocrity cause mankind\u2019s evolution to stagnate, putting the whole species at risk<\/strong>\u2014if everyone is doing the same things and not pushing any new boundaries, mankind won\u2019t be able to change and adapt to future challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, he argues, the best possible person is unique, individualistic, and naturally skilled. These people reject <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/norms-of-society\/\">social norms<\/a> and morals, dedicating themselves to their passions and developing personally beneficial traits like strength and joy. This single-minded devotion allows them to develop remarkable intellect, strength, and talent for their passions, which they\u2019ll then pass on to the next generation of humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-goodness-is-unknowable\">Goodness Is Unknowable<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of claiming that a good life does or doesn\u2019t exist, some philosophers believe it\u2019s pointless to debate the question at all. In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-myth-of-sisyphus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Myth of Sisyphus<\/em><\/a>, <strong>Camus argues it\u2019s impossible to understand the purpose or meaning of human life<\/strong>. This is because the answer to this question lies beyond the scope of human experience. For example, if God exists and provides humanity with purpose, then we still wouldn\u2019t <em>know <\/em>that our lives have purpose because we can\u2019t concretely know whether or not God exists. Since we can\u2019t know the <em>purpose <\/em>of human life, we have no frame of reference to say what kind of life is \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-exercise-consider-your-good-life\">Exercise: Consider Your Good Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflect on the different ways of living a good life suggested by the authors and how you\u2019d like to live your own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Do you try to live according to reason, making logical choices whenever possible? If not, do you believe this is a worthy goal? Why or why not?<\/li><li>Are you part of something larger than yourself as an individual? Do you believe this is important for living a good life? Explain why.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Do you think it\u2019s even possible to define a good life? Why or why not?<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What makes a good life? What have prominent philosophers taught about living well? Depending on which philosophy you follow, there are many perspectives on what a good life is. Some say a good life is living according to reason, others say it&#8217;s dedicating yourself to something greater, and yet others say there is no such thing as a good life. Read on to learn how to live a good life from Aristotle, Nietzsche, and other philosophers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":120832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,21],"tags":[1364],"class_list":["post-120831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-philosophy","tag-the-master-guides-what-makes-a-good-life","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Makes a Good Life? 3 Perspectives From Philosophy - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What makes a good life, and how do you live well? 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Here are three perspectives from prominent philosophers, including Aristotle and Nietzsche.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-14T15:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-15T16:19:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/man-at-crossroads-road-signs-direction-decisions-choices-options.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Becca King\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Becca King\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Becca King\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a98d1f6c931222c11a5c5d087f3376fe\"},\"headline\":\"What Makes a Good Life? 3 Perspectives From Philosophy\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-14T15:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-15T16:19:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/\"},\"wordCount\":1218,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/man-at-crossroads-road-signs-direction-decisions-choices-options.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Master Guides: What Makes a Good Life?\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"Philosophy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/\",\"name\":\"What Makes a Good Life? 3 Perspectives From Philosophy - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/man-at-crossroads-road-signs-direction-decisions-choices-options.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-14T15:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-15T16:19:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"What makes a good life, and how do you live well? 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