In order to explain the idea that sacrifice involves voluntary diminution of the agent’s well-being, “well-being” must be explained. The thesis that an agent’s well-being just consists in the occurrence of events wanted is rejected. Overvold replaces it by the view that the motivating desires involve the existence of the agent, alive, at the time of their satisfaction. This view seems counterintuitive. The whole desire- satisfaction theory is to be rejected partly because we don’t think an event worthwhile if it is not “liked” when it occurs, and partly because the theory cannot give a sensible account of what is good for an individual when his desires “change”.
