Wellbeing

The study of wellbeing explores what it means for a person to fare badly or well, or more broadly, what makes a life good for the person living it. Some take wellbeing to be a mental state – the state of experiencing more pleasure than pain, for example. To others, wellbeing consists in having one’s desires satisfied, or perhaps in the satisfaction of those desires that are more fundamental, long-termed or better-informed. Still another view holds that what is good for a person is to simply have the kind of things that are objectively good, whether or not she desires them.
The concept is central to moral philosophy, and is discussed throughout the literature on political philosophy, the philosophy of economics, value theory and metaethics. The questions are rich in variety: is wellbeing something we ought to care about or promote? And if so, whose wellbeing should we care about, and which conception of wellbeing is to take priority? Is the promotion of wellbeing a valid object of public policy in a liberal state, or should governments provide autonomous individuals with merely the opportunity, or the essential capabilities for pursuing their own wellbeing? Is wellbeing to be maximized or distributed equally?
A related set of concerns pertains to welfare indices and the correlation between these and material prosperity. Empirical studies suggest a varying impact. GDP and the level of income are estimated to correlate strongly to life satisfaction, but rather weakly to happiness. These results and others raise some interesting questions for political philosophers. For example, given our understanding of wellbeing, is economic growth still a desirable goal? Are there other variables that may correlate better with wellbeing? And if so, are we to promote them instead?
Another philosophical controversy concerns the role wellbeing plays in practical reason. One of the challenges is to understand whether wellbeing provides us with reasons for action. It is widely believed that our relationships, careers and other worthwhile projects we choose to take upon ourselves are at least part of what makes our life go better. But is this our reason to engage in these relationships and activities? Or is it more correct to say, conversely, that our life goes better because we do the things we have independent reasons to do? When, if ever, does wellbeing have a role to play in decision making?
This short list of topics is by no means exhaustive. Further inquiries and suggestions would be a welcome contribution.