Final answer:
The life's trajectory objection to hedonism focuses on how the timing and pattern of pleasures and pains affect life satisfaction, arguing that life's quality isn't solely determined by the sum of pleasures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The "life's trajectory" objection to hedonism highlights a major issue within the hedonistic framework. Hedonism suggests that pleasure is the ultimate intrinsic good and the aim of a well-lived life. However, the life's trajectory objection posits that the quality of one's life cannot be fully assessed simply by the amount of pleasure experienced. This objection raises the concern that a life with a downward trajectory, where an individual begins with a high amount of pleasure that steadily decreases over time, may end up being less desirable than a life with a modest but increasingly positive trajectory.
The problem for hedonism is that it overlooks how the arrangement and timing of pleasures and pains affect one's overall life satisfaction. Critics argue that even if two lives contain the same total amount of pleasure, the life with the more positive trajectory could be seen as a better life. This challenges the hedonistic view that only the quantity of pleasure matters, by stressing the importance of the pattern of one's experiences. Thus, hedonism might fail to account for how human beings value the progression of their lives, not just the sum total of pleasurable moments.