Deck 3: Getting What You Want

Question 1

What is an objective theory of human welfare, and how does such a theory differ from the desire satisfaction theory? Is hedonism an objective theory of welfare? Why or why not? Are objective theories of welfare preferable to the desire satisfaction theory? Defend your answer.

Answer 1

No Answer.

Question 2

Many people today believe that there are many types of good life and that it is up to us which kind of life is best for us. Write an essay discussing whether or not you think these two claims are true and the extent to which the desire satisfaction theory can accommodate them. Does the desire satisfaction theory accommodate these views better than hedonism? Better than objective theories?

Answer 2

No Answer.

Question 3

What is the relationship between something being good for you and your being motivated to pursue that thing? How does the desire satisfaction theorist's view of this relationship differ from the objective theorist's view? Which do you think is preferable, and why?

Answer 3

No Answer.

Question 4

Do we always have a reason to do whatever would benefit ourselves? How does the desire satisfaction theorist explain the connection between reason and self-interest? Is the desire theorist's account better than the objective theorist's? Why or why not?

Question 5

Write an essay about the way in which the desire satisfaction theory tries to account for our knowledge of what is good for us. Give an example of a case in which the theory seems to adequately explain how we know what is good for us. Are there any cases in which the desire satisfaction theory cannot adequately explain how we know (or don't know) what's good for us?

Question 6

Describe an example of an intuitively good life (it can be someone you know personally or only know about) and explain what features of that life make it good. Do you think that the desire satisfaction theory does a good job of explaining why that life is good? Explain and defend your response.

Question 7

Desire satisfaction theorists think that no one can have a good life without

A) believing the desire theory to be true.
B) happiness.
C) being devoted to some single thing.
D) None of the above

Question 8

One major difficulty for objective theories is explaining

A) how certain things can make us better off even if we don't want them.
B) the relationship between welfare and motivation.
C) why we have good reasons to do what is best for ourselves.
D) All of the above

Question 9

According to the desire satisfaction theorist, if something does not contribute to the satisfaction of any of my desires

A) it might benefit me, provided that it makes me happy.
B) it might benefit me if it satisfies someone else's desires.
C) it might benefit me if it increases my knowledge.
D) it does not benefit me.

Question 10

According to the desire satisfaction theory, we are usually motivated to do what is good for us because

A) we are afraid of the consequences if we fail to do so.
B) desires motivate us to do things.
C) our beliefs about the good motivate us to do things.
D) None of the above

Question 11

If desiring something gives us a reason to obtain it, then according to the desire satisfaction theory

A) we all ought to desire happiness above all else.
B) we all ought to desire that others act on good reasons.
C) we always have reason to do what benefits us.
D) we always have very good reasons to behave as we do.

Question 12

If the desire satisfaction theory is true, then

A) it is always easy to know what is good for us.
B) we can know what is good for us by figuring out what we want and how to get it.
C) we can never know what is good for us.
D) Both a and b

Question 13

According to the argument for self-interest

A) we should always be selfish.
B) if we have reason to obtain something, then it satisfies our desires.
C) if something makes us better off, then we have reason to obtain it.
D) satisfying your desires is morally right.

Question 14

The first motivation argument attempts to demonstrate what?

A) That wealth is not intrinsically valuable
B) That any purported objective value will not improve the lives of some people
C) That the desire theory is true
D) That some people don't care about what's valuable

Question 15

According to the desire theory, in order to know what's good for us we must know

A) what we desire.
B) how to get what we desire.
C) Both of the above
D) None of the above

Question 16

Which of the following is not an advantage of desire theory?

A) It allows for a variety of good lives.
B) It explains why the satisfaction of some desires is disappointing.
C) It explains why we're motivated to pursue the good.
D) It explains how you can know what's good for you.

Question 17

The second motivational argument poses a problem for

A) objective theories of welfare.
B) the desire theory.
C) Both of the above
D) None of the above

Question 18

Which of the following is a central claim of the desire satisfaction theory?

A) The satisfaction of a desire always directly contributes to one's welfare.
B) The satisfaction of desires is the only thing that directly contributes to one's welfare.
C) The only reason for which anything can directly contribute to one's welfare is because it satisfies a desire.
D) All of the above

Question 19

Which of the following would the desire satisfaction theorist accept?

A) Knowledge is always intrinsically good for people.
B) Knowledge is always instrumentally good for people.
C) Knowledge can be intrinsically good for people, but only when it helps satisfies a desire.
D) Knowledge can be instrumentally good for people, but only when it helps satisfies a desire.

Question 20

Which of the following types of life is guaranteed to go well, according to the desire satisfaction theory?

A) A life filled with pleasure
B) A life spent satisfying the desires of others
C) A life spent pursuing knowledge
D) None of the above

Question 21

What is an objective theory of welfare?

A) A theory that claims that objects, not happiness or relationships, are the key to happiness
B) A theory according to which there are facts about welfare, not merely opinions
C) A theory according to which some things contribute to our welfare independently of our desires and beliefs
D) All of the above

Question 22

Which of the following is a common complaint about objective theories of welfare?

A) They can't account for the fact that knowledge is good for us.
B) They can't explain the relationship between well-being and motivation.
C) They falsely claim that happiness is not good for us.
D) They can't explain why wealth is instrumentally good for us.

Question 23

Which of the following is a premise in the desire satisfaction theorist's argument for self-interest?

A) If something satisfies our desires, then we have reason to obtain it.
B) People always morally ought to do whatever is in their self-interest.
C) No one is capable of acting unselfishly.
D) If everyone acted self-interestedly, everyone would be happier in the long run.

Question 24

Which of the following would the desire satisfaction theorist not endorse?

A) We can know what is good for us by figuring out what we want and how to get it.
B) We always have reason to obtain whatever makes us better off.
C) Happiness is always good for people.
D) Sometimes it is difficult to know whether something is good for us.

Question 25

Which of the following would the desire satisfaction theorist endorse?

A) The satisfaction of any of your desires is intrinsically good for you.
B) The satisfaction of many (but not all) of your desires is intrinsically good for you.
C) The satisfaction of any of your desires is good for you, but only instrumentally.
D) The satisfaction of many (but not all) of your desires is good for you, but only instrumentally.