ABSTRACT
The good life is not for us merely a matter of self-preservation, of longevity, and therefore the life in question here is something more than biological survival. And there are different senses of this something more, to which correspond different ways of being good. For example, say that we feel alive, or like death, thus drawing attention to the quality of our experience. Or it might reflect on the vitality of our inner life or our spiritual life and it is here that the duplicity of habit becomes particularly significant. Ambivalence toward habit runs through diverse accounts of the good life. The question of whether living well means being a good person, or having a good time, marks the distinction between what Kierkegaard calls the ethical and aesthetic spheres of existence. It involves the refusal of what is often regarded as essential to the good life: an occupation, a family, a stable home, lasting good health.
