What is a Good Life?
Living a good life in a time of ecological decline and climate change
Are you satisfied with your life? Most of us would probably say ‘no’, if asked. If you’re lucky you might say ‘yes’ or perhaps ‘sometimes’. Inevitably there is always something (or many things) that we would like to change in our lives. That’s part of our nature. But to seek a good life is not just about feeling happy or satisfied with how your life has turned out, surely? Some would say its about how successful you have become. Others, how well you have contributed to society. Others, that you are internally at peace with yourself, no matter how hard your life is. There are a variety of routes to a good life and no single person completely agrees with another over what a good life should look like.
When I decided to look into the ‘good life’ as a topic, the concept seemed somewhat nebulous. I had an idea what it was in my head, but wouldn’t have been able to define it, if someone asked. When confronted with the need to explain a concept I generally begin with a dictionary. The English Oxford Dictionary (online edition) describes the good life as:
A life of luxury, pleasure, or material comfort.
A way of living characterized by simplicity, self-sufficiency, living off the land, and the rejection of consumerism. Now chiefly British.
These two descriptions are not the usual variants of meanings that you get from dictionaries, but absolutely contradictory meanings. One is unlikely to be seeking a life of luxury and material comfort, whilst rejecting consumerism and living simply. A life-style that is self-sufficient and based on the land, is highly unlikely to result in luxury, although it might result in pleasure.
The English Oxford Dictionary identifies the second description as ‘chiefly British’, or, in other words, not a common meaning for ‘good life’ outside of the British world. The explanation that they give is that this meaning was popularised in the UK by a BBC television comedy called The Good Life (1975-8) which depicted ‘a suburban couple pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle’.
Dictionary.com provides a slightly different perspective on the meaning of the ‘good life’. Here it is described as:
A life abounding in material comforts and luxuries.
A life lived according to the moral and religious laws of one’s culture.
The second idea here, that a good life is about morals and living according to a religious law or culture, draws out a suggestion that good living is not just about the individual but about their relationship with a wider community. A good life might be one which complies to a set of moral rules decided by a religion or culture. This differs again from the previous descriptions which were both individualistic in their nature.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary simply describes a good life as:
A life marked by a high standard of living
This meaning certainly fits with the first description given by both the Oxford English Dictionary and Dictionary.com, and makes it all the clearer that this first description is talking more about the lifestyle of the wealthy, celebrity, or those with inherited power. This is the kind of life distinguished by canapés at parties, posh dresses, sun tans, and yachts. When providing synonyms for this meaning, the Merriam-Webster dictionary states the ‘American dream’. This, then, is often aspirational. Many of us might aspire to this kind of lifestyle and might well consider it to be a life that is good. It is not just about those who are wealthy and elite.
The Cambridge Online Dictionary does not contain a definition of the good life, but it does provide a series of quotes from its Cambridge English Corpus. A few of these are worth referencing here, as an indication of how the term has been used:
“Certainly, many subjectivists think that the good life consists in something subtler than happiness: wellbeing or self-actualization, for example.”
“But that the conflicts arise at all is because of a loyalty shared by the above persons to an ideal ‘good’ life.”
“Under these circumstances they were delighted to have their government act to make the good life easier, safer, and cleaner.”
“What is under challenge, they argue, is the much vaunted notion that modern society girded by rational scientific pursuits could deliver the good life.”
“First, it might be thought that having a good life is not the same as having one’s interests well served.”
Happiness, well-being, government action, self-interest. These are all elements of a ‘good life’, which might be drawn out of these quotes. Happiness and well-being certainly feel like obvious attributes of a good life, if we consider a good life to be one of joy and self-fulfilment. Government action is more a process or means to improve citizens conditions so that they can get the most out of life. It is not necessarily a meaning of the good life itself. Self-interest, as depicted in the final quote, needs more investigation. What is the author here suggesting instead of one’s own interest as a path to a good life? Perhaps, they are suggesting some kind of public service or positive impact in a community. Such a suggestion would fit with the definition of living by a religious or cultural code.
From the dictionaries the definition of a good life appears to be one (or more) of the following:
A life in pursuit of luxury, pleasure, material comfort and marked by a high standard of living. Sometimes called the ‘American dream’
A way of living that is simple, which might involve living off the land or being self-sufficient. Often relates to a rejection of a consumerist lifestyle.
Living in accordance to moral, religious or cultural codes or laws.
A life which provides a positive impact on a community or communities.
The fourth of these points is an extraction from vague suggestions in the dictionaries. No where do they seemingly point to positive impact as a route to a good life, but it’s there if you look closely enough. Positive impact in a community or public service, is certainly part of the good life that the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers would have highlighted, which is where I will look in the next essay.