Oxford University Press, USA
A Philosophy for the Science of Well-Being
A Philosophy for the Science of Well-Being
Regular price
€79,95 EUR
Regular price
Sale price
€79,95 EUR
Unit price
per
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Couldn't load pickup availability
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.
Author: Anna Alexandrova
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/09/2017
Pages: 248
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780199300518
Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2018
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.
Author: Anna Alexandrova
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/09/2017
Pages: 248
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780199300518
Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2018
About the Author
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.
