6.  The speaker here defines success simply as the ability to choose how to spend
one's life. Under this definition, people who have the freedom to do whatever they want
at any time they choose would presumably be the most successful ones, while those
who have no such freedom would be the biggest failures. Viewing the definition in this
light reveals three serious problems with it.
      The chief problem with this definition of success is that by the definition nearly
all people would be regarded as failures. The reason for this is simple. Most people have
extremely limited choices in what they can do and when they can do it. In other words,
unrestricted freedom of choice is a luxury only a few people—perhaps a handful of
tyrannical dictators and ultra-wealthy individuals—can afford.
      Secondly, people who have a high degree of freedom in choosing their lifestyle
often acquire it through means that would not earn them the accolade of being
successful. For example, lottery winners or people who inherit a great deal of money
may be able to spend their life in any way they choose, but few people would regard
them as successful merely due to their financial fortune.
      A third reason this definition of success is unacceptable is that it repudiates some
of our basic intuitions about success. For most people, success is related to achievement.
The more you achieve, the more successful you are; conversely, the less you achieve the
less successful you are. Defining success in terms of freedom of choice ignores this
intuition.
      In sum, the proposed definition of success is far too limiting, and it belies our
intuition about the concept. I think that most people would agree with me that success is 来源：www.examda.com
better defined in terms of the attainment of goals.