Objective List Theory - The Philosophy for the Best Life Possible? (Theories of Well-Being)

What is Objective List Theory? Is it the best theory of well-being to live by that makes one's life go best?

On the one hand, there are theories of well-being that state only you get to decide what’s best for your life, like Preference Hedonism which I covered in a previous video. But, on the other hand, perhaps there are things in the world that are objectively good for us to have or experience.

For example, could there be a list of things like obtaining knowledge, having friends, feeling safe, having meaning in life, and more that could make not just our lives better but everyone’s life better?

In other words, is it possible there’s a list of specific things that, if one obtains, will guarantee a good life whether they want those things or not?

This idea is called The Objective List Theory of well-being. In this video, I’ll first easily explain what it is and analyze if it’s logically sound and the best philosophy for guaranteeing you live a good life.

[artifica]

Where’s part 4 I’ve been seriously blue balled 🥶 lol

[dianaplanida]

Thank you for the high-quality video! It's difficult to find a thing on such a narrow topic that would be good in science and in visual components simultaneously. Great job!

[brandtgill]

What if you agree with objective list, but think that humans can only do what they desire which is to achieve more pleasure/ co good outcomes and avoid pain/ suffering. And this would apply to all conscious decision making, so every action we do we perceive as being best for our pleasure, at least in the moment. We can be wrong about our assumptions hence objective list but we will always do an action that we assume will give us net pleasure, hence heidonism.

I essentially think both are true.

[randywa]

I think objective list theory is a good starting point though. There are generally good things that satisfy most people so you should try to attain those things but that doesn’t mean those are the only things you can or should have. You can still go after what you want in a somewhat hedonistic manner. I think a combination theory would probably be best.

[louisnegrine]

Classy video - Thank you so much, great content.

[jokunyt]

Thanks for putting these video's out :) I really enjoy them.

[q]

6:37 - That's what you get for not being sure, people.

[derreckwalls]

I've been an advocate for Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs since learning of it in college, but have always had some qualms about specific items on the list. I've supposed there could be conditional terms that apply only to certain people in some but not all circumstances, and the problem is to label the terms appropriately. Psychology could aid in this task of devising a flexible outline, rather than a rigid list, that can account for personality and aptitude traits. The proposal of combined subjective and objective requirements for well-being sounds good as the best method for accounting for individuals. Still I think our brains have evolved in a way that dictates our desires and needs fairly homogeneous within the whole human species. I guess evolutionary psychology would have to advance substantially to answer questions of well-being, but I think we could reach a comprehensive combination as shown at the end of the video.
I look forward to it.