Foundations

of Moral Values: Exam Preparation

You will write an essay with three parts: Beginning, Middle, and Conclusion.

First: Select a publically known person who you think has lived a good life. Choose someone
who is dead. Do not choose Steve Jobs.

Now use this worksheet to plan your essay.


The Beginning will include answers to the following questions:

Which publicly known person have you selected who you think has lived a good life?




In what sense was this person’s life a good life? (Was it both admirable and enviable? Be
specific: explain what was admirable and what was enviable?)





Would Plato and Aristotle agree that the life you have chosen was a good life? If not, why
not?





The Middle will include answers to the following questions:


• What are the relevant facts? (When and where did the person you have chosen live?
What did they achieve?)




With respect to the life you are writing about, answer as many of the following questions as
are relevant:

• Which values influenced the person’s key life choices?



 • Can you identify anything the person held to be intrinsically or instrumentally
valuable?





• What values did the person prioritize?





• Can you say anything about how the person thought about the value of life?






• Did the person have a good death?






• How did the person understand death?






• Did religious beliefs influence the person’s life?





The Conclusion will include your answer to the following question:

• What can we learn from this person’s life about what a good life is like?