Comparing Chris Heathwood, Epicurus, And John Stuart Mill

Chris Heathwood, Epicurus, and John Stuart Mill all have their own visions of what “the good life” is and what it consists of. Chris Heathwood has the idea that “getting what you want” is the key to the good life, but Epicurus and John Stuart Mill both have hedonistic views about life. Though fairly similar, there are several differences between these two views. First of all, Epicurus believes that pleasure is the “starting point” of every decision we make. These “pleasures” we are seeking, whether it be money, love, or even something that is considered pleasurable by everyone, like the ability to see color or to eat sweets. While we do keep pleasure in mind, Heathwood reminds us that if we want to actually benefit from said pleasure, we must first desire it. Likewise, he gives an example of enjoying chocolate. He tells us that the taste of chocolate is a good taste to be experiencing, but only if the person tasting it actually wants to taste it. By this example, he led to saying that “pleasure’s value depends entirely on the creature’s wanting it, liking it, or taking an interest in it” (Heathwood 39).

Mill reminds us that virtue plays a part in our decision making process. If a person desires virtue, that person is more likely to choose a lesser pleasure in order to be able to achieve the level of virtue he or she wants. However, Heathwood tells us that virtue isn’t necessarily the best way to decide what to do. Heathwood has the idea that we benefit when a desire we have is satisfied, and he tells us that if we live life from the objectivist’s point of view (where we do things because “they are good for us ‘whether we like it or not’” (34)), we might not end up as happy as we would if we would choose to stick to the subjectivist’s point of view of seeking to fulfil our own personal