The concept of well-being is one of the oldest and most important topics in philosophy and ethics, going back to ancient Greek philosophy. Following the boom in happiness studies in the last few years it has moved to centre stage, grabbing media headlines and the attention of scientists, psychologists and economists. Yet little is actually known about well-being and it is an idea that is often poorly articulated.

The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Well-Being provides a comprehensive, outstanding guide and reference source to the key topics and debates in this exciting subject.

Comprising over 40 chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into six parts:

• well-being in the history of philosophy
• current theories of well-being, including hedonism and perfectionism
• examples of well-being and its opposites, including friendship and virtue and pain and death
• theoretical issues, such as well-being and value, harm, identity and well-being and children
• well-being in moral and political philosophy
• well-being and related subjects, including law, economics and medicine.

Essential reading for students and researchers in ethics and political philosophy, it is also an invaluable resource for those in related disciplines such as psychology, politics and sociology.

About the Author
Guy Fletcher is a lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, UK. His current research is in metaethics, on moral language and moral psychology. Another strand of research is in political philosophy, on hate speech. He also has a persistent side-interest in John Stuart Mill. He is the author of The Philosophy of Well-Being: An Introduction (Routledge, 2016).

Reviews

"Without rival or even comparison in the literature, this is the definitive collection of contemporary philosophical perspectives on well-being. It is of use to students and scholars not merely of value theory, but also psychology, economics, politics, and medicine. These and still more fields have been made better off by the expert contributions to this Handbook." - Thaddeus Metz, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

"The question of what makes our lives good or bad for us is obviously of huge importance. Philosophers have much to contribute to answering that question, as this volume shows. The authors are excellent philosophers, and many have made significant contributions to the literature on well-being. This book will become the starting-point for future philosophical research on well-being." - Roger Crisp, University of Oxford, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9781138574083
Author Guy Fletcher
Format Paperback
Page Count 548
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 1010g