Theories of Well-Being and Descriptive Adequacy - PhilArchive
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Philosophy is fighting over what "a good life" actually means — and whether any existing theory can survive contact with how real people actually experience well-being.
Theories of Well-BeingDescriptive AdequacyHedonismReflective Equilibrium
Theory Briefing
- Theories of well-being are judged inadequate if they fail to match our ordinary, lived experiences and everyday judgments.
- The article introduces 'descriptive adequacy' as a key criterion — a theory must fit real human intuitions, not just abstract logic.
- This framework puts pressure on leading well-being theories like hedonism and desire-satisfaction, testing them against common moral experience.