How Should We Live

As the title suggests, John Kekes examines two different ethical approaches to the question How should we live? One approach gives a person an ideal theory, or an overriding concern that should guide how everyone, always, everywhere should make ethical decisions. The other promotes instilling virtues in people that will give each person the practical reasoning skills to assess the situation they face and choose ethically. Kekes argues that the ideal theory approach is misguided because it ignores the context of ethical dilemmas and the multiple ethical demands placed upon us by our various roles in life. Looking at popular ideal theories by prominent, modern philosophers Donald Davidson, Thomas Nagel, Christine Korsgaard, Harry Frankfurt, Charles Taylor, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Bernard Williams, Kekes shows how each of these theories is inadequate for navigating our daily lives. To demonstrate the flaws of ideal theories Kekes examines real lives, which are lives as they are, not as they should be, and demonstrates how ideal theories give the wrong answers to conflicts within ourselves between our various responsibilities; ways of using our limited time, energy, and money; balancing long-term and short-term satisfactions; controlling our temper; doing too much or not enough; dealing with people we dislike; and so on. Advocating instead for a virtue-based approach to our conflicts, Kekes offers an accessible, engaging book that speaks to the root of ethical inquiry and offers a practical approach to a good life."