A topic apt to be covered in an ethics course is the nature of living well. The theory we have defended in our book Happiness and Goodness: Philosophical Reflections on Living Well (Columbia University Press, 2013)is that the good life consists of finding happiness while acting morally.
A common objection often presented to students as definitive is found in Russ Shafer-Landau’s widely used text The Fundamentals of Ethics, Sixth Edition (Oxford University Press, 2024), He claims that “it is hard to resist the thought that a life that begins badly but continually improves is better than a life that starts out with a bang and goes slowly, steadily downhill—even if there is no difference in the total amounts of happiness contained in each life” (39). Hence, the trajectory of a life matters in judging its goodness.
We believe, however, that his thought should be resisted because it rests on minimizing the advantages of early success and maximizing the advantages of late success. Offering students realistic examples such as the following should be helpful in presenting the issue.
Consider two philosophers, A and B, who receive their doctorates at the same age and in the same year. Within a decade, A publishes a book widely regarded as a key work in the development of contemporary epistemology. A, therefore, receives an appointment at a prestigious university, is invited to give a variety of named lectures, and is celebrated throughout the world. As the years go by, A publishes less and less, and the later efforts are widely regarded as unimpressive, Yet, A continues to be celebrated as the author of a famous book. Thus, A’s career ends with continued admiration for the initial achievement but disappointment that later work did not live up to expectations.
B’s career, on the other hand, takes off slowly, B teaches at a little-known college, publishes few articles, struggles through many years without recognition, and continues to suffer from doubt. As time goes by, however, B’s vita lengthens dramatically. As a result, B’s reputation grows and by retirement B is considered an international star. Late in life, B is appointed to a chair at a prestigious research university and receives a variety of honors.
Keeping in mind A’s stellar reputation throughout many years and B’s difficulty in achieving success, the question can be posed to students: Whose life would you choose? Is a preference for B’s life “hard to resist”?
Students can also be reminded that in the life story of virtually every professional athlete, fame comes early, and any later accomplishments pale in comparison. The careers of actors typically follow that same trajectory; most fade into oblivion as time takes its toll. Would students, therefore, decline a career as a famed professional athlete or movie star?
A point to emphasize is that Shafer-Landau’s asking us to assume that lives such as those of A and B produce the same amount of happiness is unrealistic. After all, early success results in happiness that remains throughout life, although the satisfaction lessens over time. But later success only begins after much of life has been lived, so the satisfaction is produced over a much briefer period and is, therefore, unlikely to be as great.
Granted, a life story might be more suspenseful if accomplishments come late, but in the course of our lives we are unaware of what the future may bring. Those who suffer through decades of tribulations can hope that success will appear toward the end, but even in the unlikely chance that it finally arrives, the satisfaction achieved is unlikely to be greater than that achieved in a life that ends in frustration but offers continued happiness along most of the way.
In any case, introducing such examples as those we have offered is likely to lead to lively class discussion of an issue too often dismissed as uncontroversial.
Steven M. Cahn
Steven M. Cahn is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Among the books he has authored are Professors as Teachers (2022), Exploring Academic Ethics (2024), From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor, Second Edition (2024), Religion Within Reason, Second Edition (2025), and the recently published Pathways Through Academia (2025).
Christine Vitrano
Christine Vitrano is Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Philosophy at Brooklyn College, CUNY. She is the author of The Nature and Value of Happiness, and of the forthcoming book The Pursuit of Success: A Philosophical Examination of Happiness, Well-being, and Meaning in Life.
