In responding to this, we might distinguish between being happy and having a
good life. Certainly one could be happier by expunging or altering one’s desires,
although this would not necessarily transform one’s “doleful existence” into a
good life. Suppose I went blind, for example. Presumably, I am better off with
sight than I would be without it (if only because the ability to see allows me to
have certain kinds of intrinsically valuable experiences that I otherwise could not
have). But it is certainly possible that I might be just as happy even though my life
would not be as good if I went blind. If I accepted my situation, if I did not
experience blindness as a deprivation, if I was not frustrated because of it, then I
would be just as happy even though my life would not be as good as it was
previously. Certainly, blind people may be just as happy as anyone else even if
their lives are in some ways not as good.
Some writers distinguish between two senses of “happiness.”7
In one sense,