Abstract

Ask people what they want for themselves, for their loved ones, and for their friends and they will likely suggest a few things. Suppose that they answer with the following: health, friendships, romantic relationships, pleasure and enjoyment, happiness, achievement, knowledge. A conception of prudential value which says that well-being is promoted by this collection of items is an instance of an objective list theory. ¹ This chapter is divided into three parts. First I outline objective list theories of well-being. I then go on to look at the motivations for holding such a view before turning to objections to these theories of well-being.