On reasons to be isolated and feel agony

Abstract One debate about reasons centers on the distinction between desire-based theories and value-based theories. One influential argument for the value-based position is the claim that desire-based accounts give us the wrong verdict in cases of well-being. If desire-based accounts cannot get the right result in these easy cases, then they must be rejected. This paper addresses cases from Shafer-Landau (2003) and Parfit (2011). I argue that desire-based theories do give the right verdict in these cases. We can see this when we offer a richer picture of desire and moral psychology. It is not just possible that we can have reason to be socially isolated and to feel agony, but many actual people do. Extremely introverted people have reasons to seek social isolation. People who have passions like football or mountain climbing, which essentially involve pain, have reasons to pursue their passions.