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

The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of 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 - Anna Alexandrova | HPS | University of Cambridge
• Book - A Philosophy for the Science of Well-Being | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
• Current work - The Many Dimensions of Wellbeing - Bennett Institute for Public Policy
• Media - Interviews and popular writings

The transcript for this episode can be found at: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep3-anna-alexandrova-transcript

Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast with current producers, Samara Greenwood and Carmelina Contarino. You can find more about us on our blog, website, bluesky, twitter, instagram and facebook feeds. Music by ComaStudio.
This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne.
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