Overview

Well-being, happiness and quality of life are now established objects of social and medical research. Does this science produce knowledge that is properly about well-being? What sort of well-being? The definition and measurement of these objects rest on assumptions that are partly normative, partly empirical and partly pragmatic, producing a great diversity of definitions depending on the project and the discipline. This book, written from the perspective of philosophy of science, formulates principles for the responsible production and interpretation of this diverse knowledge. Traditionally, philosophers' goal has been a single concept of well-being and a single theory about what it consists in. But for science this goal is both unlikely and unnecessary. Instead the promise and authority of the science depends on it focusing on the well-being of specific kinds of people in specific contexts. Skeptical arguments notwithstanding, this contextual well-being can be measured in a valid and credible way - but only if scientists broaden their methods to make room for normative considerations and address publicly and inclusively the value-based conflicts that inevitably arise when a measure of well-being is adopted. The science of well-being can be normative, empirical and objective all at once, provided that we line up values to science and science to values.

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9780190677213

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Reviews

Essential reading for philosophers and social scientists who are puzzled by the concept of well-being and its tenuous relationship to empirical studies that purport to measure it. Alexandrova's contextual view of well-being and her account of how a science can address normative questions break new ground. --Daniel M. Hausman, Herbert A. Simon and Hilldale Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison As the first book-length treatment of the philosophy of science underlying the science(s) of well-being, Anna Alexandrova's book isn't just a contribution to the field--it helps define it. This book will serve as the starting point for any serious discussion of the philosophy of science of well-being for years to come. --Erik Angner, Stockholm University In this superb book, Anna Alexandrova argues that the science of well-being derives its explanatory and normative power from theories that inhabit that unexplored sweet spot between philosophers' abstractions and psychologists' facts. By illuminating these mid-level theories, Alexandrova articulates fresh new answers to questions that have long bedeviled scholars: What is well-being? How can we measure it? And what steps can we take to promote it? This is philosophy at its best--clear, bold, deeply interdisciplinary, and driven by an optimistic vision that sees philosophy as having a crucial role to play in helping us to understand how to improve people's lives. --Michael Bishop, Florida State University A masterful synthesis of the philosophy and science of well-being. Alexandrova's book is compulsory reading for anyone interested in the philosophy or the science of well-being, particularly anyone with a view--optimistic or pessimistic--of how much each field can learn from the other. --Guy Fletcher, University of Edinburgh It is difficult for philosophers like myself to accept that our theories of well-being should be both useful for and answerable to empirical research. I suspect many scientists are similarly tempted to set philosophy aside. If Anna Alexandrova's groundbreaking book doesn't convince us to work together, nothing will. --Antti Kaupinnen, University of Tampere Anna Alexandrova has done an extraordinary job in fusing exciting new research in philosophy, psychology, social science, and economics to address the core issues in the foundations of well-being studies. The book contains a myriad of valuable insights and novel ideas that help us understand the concept of well-being, its measurement and application. No researcher interested human flourishing can afford to ignore it. --Julian Reiss, Durham University

Author Information

Anna Alexandrova is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Science at University of Cambridge and a Fellow of King's College, having previously taught at the University of Missouri St Louis. She writes on philosophy of social sciences, especially economic modelling, explanation, and the sciences of well-being. She was a recipient of the Philosophy of Science Association Recent PhD Essay Prize.

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