The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Well-Being

Description

The concept of well-being is one of the oldest and most important topics in philosophy and ethics, going back to ancient Greek philosophy. Following the boom in happiness studies in the last few years it has moved to centre stage, grabbing media headlines and the attention of scientists, psychologists and economists. Yet little is actually known about well-being and it is an idea that is often poorly articulated. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Well-Being provides a comprehensive, outstanding guide and reference source to the key topics and debates in this exciting subject. Comprising over 40 chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into six parts: well-being in the history of philosophy current theories of well-being, including hedonism and perfectionism examples of well-being and its opposites, including friendship and virtue and pain and death theoretical issues, such as well-being and value, harm, identity and well-being and children well-being in moral and political philosophy well-being and related subjects, including law, economics and medicine. Essential reading for students and researchers in ethics and political philosophy, it is also an invaluable resource for those in related disciplines such as psychology, politics and sociology. THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF PHILOSOPHY OF WELL-BEING-FRONT COVER THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF PHILOSOPHY OF WELL-BEING TITLE PAGE COPYRIGHT CONTENTS CONTRIBUTORS INTRODUCTION Part 1: Well-being in the history of moral philosophy Part 2: Theories of well-being Part 3: Particular goods and bads Part 4: Theoretical issues Part 5: Well-being in moral and political philosophy Part 6: Well-being and other disciplines PART I: WELL-BEING IN THE HISTORY OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY CHAPTER 1: PLATO ON WELL-BEING Plato’s uses of well-being Naïve conceptions The Protagorean conception Hedonist conceptions The Socratic conception Related topics Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 2: ARISTOTLE ON WELL-BEING Does Aristotle have a theory of well-being? Eudaimonia and happiness Is eudaimonia a dominant or an inclusive end? Flourishing Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 3: HEDONISTIC THEORIES OF WELL-BEING IN ANTIQUITY Hedonism and teleology The nature of pleasure Hedonism, the virtues, and happiness Hedonism and epistemic goods The Pyrrhonian skeptics Related topics Notes References CHAPTER 4: WELL-BEING AND CONFUCIANISM The concept of well-being Mencius: moral sprouts and nature fulfillment Xunzi: virtues and social environment The teleological structure of well-being Conclusion Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 5: WELL-BEING AND DAOISM Well-being in the Daodejing The Zhuangzi A schema for reading the Zhuangzi’s remarks on well-being Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 6: BUDDHIST UNDERSTANDINGS OF WELL-BEING Introduction The well-being of unenlightened persons The well-being of enlightened persons Can these accounts be unified? Buddhist thought and the contemporary theories Does Buddhism need a philosophy of well-being? References CHAPTER 7: WELL-BEING IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION Well-being in the thought of Augustine Well-being in the thought of Aquinas Well-being in the thought of Calvin Earthly intimations of heavenly well-being Does religion have objective priority over all other welfare goods? Contemporary Christian philosophers and the nature of well-being Notes References CHAPTER 8: THE LATER BRITISH MORALISTS Sidgwick’s analysis Objections to Sidgwick’s analysis The scope problem Sidgwick’s arguments for pleasure as the only ultimate good Well-being Order Appendix: Changes in Sidgwick’s analysis of “good” Notes References PART II: THEORIES OF WELL-BEING CHAPTER 9: HEDONISM Arguments for hedonism What is hedonism? Objections to hedonism Conclusion Related topics Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 10: PERFECTIONISM Human nature The good Objections to perfectionism Perfectionism and political theory Note References CHAPTER 11: DESIRE-FULFILLMENT THEORY Introduction and historical background Arguments for the desire-fulfillment theory Arguments against the desire-fulfillment theory Conclusion Acknowledgment Related topics Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 12: OBJECTIVE LIST THEORIES Just what are objective list theories? In favor of objective list theories Problems and objections to objective list theories, and replies Conclusion Acknowledgment Related topics Notes References CHAPTER 13: HYBRID THEORIES Recent subjective–objective hybrid proposals Doubts about joint necessity Holism Subjective–subjective and objective–objective hybrids Prospects Related topics Notes References CHAPTER 14: WELL-BEING AND SUBJECT DEPENDENCE Introduction The advantages of subject dependence Subject-dependent theories Attitudinal theories Whole-self theories Conclusion Notes References CHAPTER 15: EUDAIMONISM The structure of eudaimonism Varieties of eudaimonism Dimensions of eudaimonism: virtue Challenges to eudaimonism Conclusion Notes References PART III: PARTICULAR GOODS AND BADS CHAPTER 16: THE ROLE OF PLEASURE IN WELL-BEING Introduction The nature of pleasure Does only degree of pleasurableness count? Are there other ways of benefiting? Conclusion References CHAPTER 17: PAIN, EXPERIENCE, AND WELL-BEING Introduction What is pain? What makes it bad? Is pain always bad? Is it the only thing that is bad? Skepticism about pain’s badness? Further reading Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 18: HEALTH, DISABILITY, AND WELL-BEING Preliminaries The effects of ill health Restricted capabilities and well-being Health and justice Health and ethics Conclusion Related topics Notes References CHAPTER 19: FRIENDSHIP AND WELL-BEING Introduction The best of friends Pleasure, desire, and friendship Friendship as an objective good Friends as other selves Conclusion Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 20: VIRTUE AND WELL-BEING Introduction An account of virtue Senses in which virtue might be “necessary for” well-being Virtue and well-being Conclusion Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 21: EPISTEMIC GOODS Terminology and methodology Knowledge Intellectual virtues Being known and being ignored Conclusion Related topics Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 22: WELL-BEING AND ACHIEVEMENT Introduction What is an achievement? Achievement as an aspect of well-being Beyond well-being Conclusion Related topics References CHAPTER 23: MEANINGFULNESS Introduction What is meaning in life? Objectivist accounts of meaning: supernaturalism Subjectivist accounts of meaning Objectivist accounts of meaning: naturalism Meaning and well-being Measuring meaning? Conclusion References CHAPTER 24: NEEDS AND WELL-BEING Needs and human needs Needs, ends, and well-being Human needs and theories of well-being Attending to needs Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 25: HAPPINESS Conceptions of happiness Happiness and well-being Conclusion Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 26: WELL-BEING AND DEATH Death and deprivation of well-being Connections between judgments about death and judgments about well-being At what time does death harm? Posthumous harm Well-being and rational attitudes towards death Notes Bibliography PART IV: THEORETICAL ISSUES CHAPTER 27: MONISM AND PLURALISM Clarifying the distinction Arguments for monism Arguments for pluralism Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 28: ATOMISM AND HOLISM IN THE THEORY OF PERSONAL WELL-BEING Introduction Atomism Holism Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 29: THE EXPERIENCE MACHINE AND THE EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT A distinctive kind of objection Problems with the argument Just how bad is machine life? A reformulation States of affairs versus knowledge Experientialism and the experience requirement Related topics Notes References CHAPTER 30: CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING: A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS Philosophers’ views fail to provide accounts of young children’s well-being Existing views of well-being that are applicable to young children Three accounts of children’s well-being Conclusion Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 31: WELL-BEING AND ANIMALS Subjective theories Objective theories Comparing approaches Notes References CHAPTER 32: THE SCIENCE OF WELL-BEING What sort of science is the science of well-being? There are many constructs of well-being Three foundational questions Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 33: THE CONCEPT OF WELL-BEING The standard picture of well-being Two ways forward Four analyses of prudential value Concepts of well-being? Conclusion Notes References PART V: WELL-BEING IN MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY CHAPTER 34: WELFARISM What is welfarism? Why be welfarist? Why not be welfarist? Conclusion Notes CHAPTER 35: WELL-BEING AND THE NON-IDENTITY PROBLEM Introduction The harm-based approach The impersonal value approach Conclusion Notes References CHAPTER 36: AUTONOMY AND WELL-BEING The importance of choice The source of interference Bad government Conclusion Notes References CHAPTER 37: WELL-BEING AND DISADVANTAGE Extending the Capability Approach Dynamic public reflective equilibrium Functioning security Clustering of disadvantage Declustering of disadvantage Corrosive disadvantages and fertile functionings Policies for declustering disadvantage Further reading Notes References CHAPTER 38: FEMINISM AND WELL-BEING Introduction Mental state views and psychological oppression Preference satisfaction, adaptive preferences, and deformed desires Flourishing and capabilities Conclusion Notes References Online resources PART VI: WELL-BEING AND OTHER DISCIPLINES CHAPTER 39: WELL-BEING AND THE LAW Well-being and policy evaluation The protection of well-being by law Tort law Notes Bibliography CHAPTER 40: WELL-BEING AND ECONOMICS Introduction Standard economics The economics of happiness Social indicators and capabilities Discussion Related topics Note References CHAPTER 41: MEDICINE AND WELL-BEING Well-being and the ends of medicine Autonomy, authenticity, and well-being: the standard case Autonomy, authenticity, and well-being at the margins of agency Related topics Further reading Notes References INDEX