Living Your Best Life

Abstract

Abstract Is it in our interests to be important? One version of this question asks whether we have reason to think that being important advances our well-being. This way of framing it means, first, that the question is not if importance is a final good, without reason to back it up, and, second, that it is not enough to simply want to be important in order for importance to be considered good. In addition, we are looking for some part of our well-being that is advanced by being important. But no such rationale exists. We seemingly have reason to seek achievements, to perfect our human nature, and to perfect our individual nature; but none of these interests are served more by being important than by being ordinary.