Enjoyment

John Kekes argues that enjoyment is essential to a worthwhile life. He locates its source in a way of living that brings together an outlook and a pattern of conduct, and that together reveal what a person cares about most. Because these ways of life differ from one person to another and from one situation to the next, Kekes holds that they can only be sensibly grasped by looking closely at particular, real lives. In his view, literature offers a better route to this understanding than the abstract theories and principles that dominate much current moral philosophy, which he considers a fruitless pursuit.

The book proceeds through close examination of individual cases and demonstrates how such reflection can be carried out with good reason. Kekes contends that the drive for universality and impartiality goes astray in this area. His argument rests on a conception of reason that is practical, particular, pluralistic, and still objective. He opposes the widespread view that a reason only counts if it binds everyone who wants to live rationally and morally. For Kekes, reason in ethics is neither theoretical nor general, and the reasons people have for living and acting in particular ways may vary from person to person without losing their force.