Satisfiers Require Moral Constraints

This paper counters Etzioni’s claim that “Happiness is the Wrong Metric” by arguing that some single metric must be conceived of – call it happiness, or something else - to make choices between dissimilar sources of value, such as the between simple consumption (eg. going to a movie) and a moral choice (eg. visiting a sick friend). However, due to uncertainty about both one’s own preferences and about how to measure and compare different sources of value, individuals inevitably become moral wrestlers, even in their search for happiness. The paper then argues that individual pursuit of happiness is appropriate only under the added constraint that people follow a subset of moral principles that are normally encouraged by the major religions; namely do not kill or injure others, do not lie or cheat and always fulfill promises. Pursuit of individual happiness, subject to moral constraints, can leave individuals free to choose their own unique path to self-affirmation.