S3 Ep 3 - Anna Alexandrova on 'Philosophy of Well-Being Science'

Today's episode features Professor Anna Alexandrova from the University of Cambridge discussing a field she has pioneered - the Philosophy of Well-Being Science.

As Anna points out, well-being and happiness are now established phenomena for scientific research, particularly in the disciplines of psychology and economics. But does current scientific research produce knowledge that is properly about well-being? What kind of well-being? Should the goal be a single concept and single theory of well-being?
Anna persuasively argues that a ‘one-concept-or-one-theory-fits-all’ attitude is wrong-headed.

Instead, Anna suggests researchers should invest in tailoring the concept of ‘well-being’ for specific people in specific contexts. Furthermore, we must take into consideration the components of well-being, or better put – of human flourishing - that are meaningful to the people within those groups.

Relevant links for Anna:
• Profile - (hps.cam.ac.uk/directory/alexandrova) Anna Alexandrova | HPS | University of Cambridge (hps.cam.ac.uk/directory/alexandrova)
• Book - A Philosophy for the Science of Well-Being | Oxford Academic (oup.com) (academic.oup.com/book/10358)
• Current work - The Many Dimensions of Wellbeing - Bennett Institute for Public Policy (bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/research/research-p…)
• Media - Interviews and popular writings (sites.google.com/site/aaalexandrova/interviews…)
The transcript for this episode can be found at: hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep3-anna-alexandrova-tr…
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This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne (arts.unimelb.edu.au/school-of-historical-and-p…) and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant (scholarships.unimelb.edu.au/awards/hansen-litt….) scheme.
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