Homework on Heathwood, Welfare


All answers must be in your own words.

For this homework, let's say a person A's life is "not worth living" if living is more bad for A than good; that is, if A suffers more than A benefits from being alive. This might have nothing to do with how A's life affects others (depending on what theory of welfare is correct). In terms of standpoints of evaluation, a person's life is not worth living if, prudentially, it is overall bad for that person to continue living.

1. Heathwood discusses several views of welfare (there is a list on 653). On some of these theories, having a serious physical ailment can make one's life not worth living. Is there any of these theories according to which a serious enough physical ailment cannot make one's life not worth living? If so, which? If not, why not? (2pts)

2. Psychological conditions like serious depression might affect one's ability to be happy, or have relationships, etc. On some of the theories discussed in this paper, can serious depression make a person's life not worth living? Which ones and why? (2pts)

3. Which view seems least plausible to you? Why? (2pts)

4. Which view seems most plausible to you? Why? (2pts)
a. Explain one objection to that view from the text. How would you defend the view against this objection, or how would you modify the view to avoid this objection? (2pt2)