ABSTRACT
The main challenge to hedonism was the apparent implausibility of the claim that people hedonic levels are the only things that determine their level of well-being. Unlike hedonism and the desire-fulfilment theory of well-being, it is difficult to characterise objective list theories in general. This is partly because, to a greater extent than is true for hedonism and the desire-fulfilment theory, 'objective list theory' names something from within a very wide class of theories. The objective list theorist denies attitude-dependence by denying that there is such a connection between well-being and desire. Pluralism is not, however, a necessary feature of an objective list theory. One could hold a monistic objective-list theory. The non-plugged-in life contains achievement and friendship whereas the plugged-in life lacks these. It is thus straightforward for the three goods theory to provide a justification for thinking that the unplugged life is better than the plugged-in life.
