Abstract
The chapter aims to provide a classification of different philosophical theories of well-being. A very common issue of contestation is whether well-being is subjective or objective. However, ontological and evaluative perspectives in this regard need to be disentangled. The ontological perspective is concerned with the problem whether well-being is a mode of consciousness or of existence. The evaluative perspective focuses on the criteria of well-being. There are then altogether four different accounts: (i) experience theories (ontological subjectivism), (ii) state-of-being theories (ontological objectivism), (iii) desire-fulfillment theories (evaluative subjectivism), and (iv) essence theories (evaluative objectivism). This classification is applied to a particular philosophical and social dispute, namely, whether and, if so, in what way disability undermines the quality of life of persons with disability.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bentham J (1789) An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996
Daniels N (1985) Just health care. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Darwall S (2002) Welfare and rational care. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Epicurus (1940) Letter to Menoeceus. In: Whitney JO (ed) The stoic and epicurean philosophers. The Modern Library, New York, pp 30–34
Griffin J (1986) Well-being. Its meaning, measurement, and moral importance. Clarendon, Oxford
Griffin J (1996) Value judgement: improving our ethical beliefs. Clarendon, Oxford
Kagan S (1992) The limits of well-being. Soc Philos Policy 9(2):169–189
Kahneman D (1999) Objective happiness. In: Kahneman D, Diener E, Schwarz N (eds) Well-being: the foundations of hedonic psychology. Russell Sage, New York, pp 3–25
Mill JS (1861) Utilitarianism. In: Robson J (ed) Collected works. Toronto University Press 1969, Toronto, pp 203–255
Nussbaum M (1995) Human capabilities, female human beings. In: Nussbaum M, Glover J (eds) Women, culture, and development. Clarendon, Oxford, pp 61–104
Nussbaum M, Sen A (eds) (1993) The quality of life. Clarendon, Oxford
Parfit D (1984) Reasons and persons. Clarendon, Oxford
Rawls J (1971) A theory of justice, rev edn 1999. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
Rescher N (1972) Welfare: the social issues in philosophical perspective. Pittsburgh University Press, Pittsburgh
Scanlon T (1993) Value, desire, and quality of life. In: Nussbaum M, Sen A (eds) The quality of life. Clarendon, Oxford, pp 185–200
Sen A (1980) Equality of what? In: McMurrin S (ed) Tanner lectures on human values 1. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 197–220
Sumner LW (1996) Welfare, happiness & ethics. Clarendon, Oxford
Acknowledgments
This chapter draws on material that has previously been published in the article “Comparative and Non-Comparative Perspectives on Disability” in Jerome Bickenbach, Franziska Felder, Barbara Schmitz (eds.), Disability and the Good Human Life, Cambridge University Press 2014, 72–92.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Schramme, T. (2015). Subjective and Objective Accounts of Well-Being and Quality of Life. In: Schramme, T., Edwards, S. (eds) Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8706-2_7-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8706-2_7-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-8706-2
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities