Prudential Discourse and Time

We regularly appeal to different temporal perspectives when we think and talk about well-being. This has led many philosophers to distinguish between distinct temporal kinds of well-being, such as momentary well-being and lifetime well-being. This paper argues against this way of thinking. It argues that dividing well-being into distinct temporal kinds is not well-motivated and has implausible implications. The paper then proposes an alternative account of our thought and talk about well-being across time that appeals only to how well an individual’s life goes. It then explores the implications of the view for debates about the shape of a life and related phenomena.