‘Happiness, Excellence and the Good Life’ Questions

Q1): According to Morris, what is morality about? ( this is also what Aristotle thought morality
was about too!) (Mackenzie)
Morris thinks morality is about human flourishing. It’s about the deepest sort of happiness. And it’s
about living the best sort of life. It’s all about what we honour, what we cultivate, and what we
become. Morality is connected to the deepest possibilities of personal fulfilment, individual
happiness and human flourishing in this life. Ethical conduct is behaviour that respects and nurtures
truth, beauty, goodness, and unity, in our own lives, and in the lives of people. Good people live and
encourage others to live, as fully intellectual, aesthetic, moral, and spiritual creatures.

The best known philosophical view of what morality is holds that it consists of the first and
foremost rules:

- Thou shalt not kill

- Thou shalt not commit adultery
- Thou shalt not steal
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour
- Don’t cheat
- Don’t boast
- Don’t manipulate people for your own ends
- Don’t start fights
- Don’t be a user
- Don’t be a jerk
- Don’t be selfish
- Don’t be greedy
- Don’t break promises
- Don’t be insensitive
- Don’t deface other people’s property
- Don’t violate people’s privacy
- Don’t make people crazy

Q5): Which theory makes the most sense? Justify your answer (Miss Masson)
Personally, the theory that makes the most sense is Utilitarianism. Not only because, unlike other
theories, it doesn’t have any problems within the theory but because it is a theory that believes in not
personally gain or pleasure but what is best for everyone, by providing the most positive outcomes.

Q6) Which theory do you think Morris supports? Justify your opinion. (MLE)

I believe that Morris supports the Virtue theory. In the text it states that Morris believes that this
theory is “insightful” and “true”. He later says that the virtue theory can incorporate the insights of all
the other theories, while avoiding the main issues and problems regarding the other theories. This
proves that Morris supports the Virtue Theory.
Q8) What does Morris believe are the 4 fundamental and universal dimensions of human
experience? (MLE)

 The Intellectual Dimension  Truth

 The Aesthetic Dimension  Beauty
 The Moral Dimension  Goodness
 The Spiritual Dimension  Unity

9. How do they link ‘happiness’ and Teleological understanding of ‘goodness’ (Miss Masson)

- Human life is teleological - We aim at targets in our day to day lives, trying to make things happen.
- Aristotle believes that underneath this the insight to all we do is, our universal quarry, is happiness.
- Aristotle thought goodness is Teleological which links the idea that the goal, intention and purpose
of human living (the teleological target) is happiness (as it is our ‘universal quarrel’.)