Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Flourishing in Health Care

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Health Care Analysis Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to offer an account of ‘flourishing’ that is relevant to health care provision, both in terms of the flourishing of the individual patient and carer, and in terms of the flourishing of the caring institution. It is argued that, unlike related concepts such as ‘happiness’, ‘well-being’ or ‘quality of life’, ‘flourishing’ uniquely has the power to capture the importance of the vulnerability of human being. Drawing on the likes of Heidegger and Nussbaum, it is argued that humans are at once beings who are autonomous and thereby capable of making sense of their lives, but also subject to the contingencies of their bodies and environments. To flourish requires that one engages, imaginatively and creatively, with those contingencies. The experience of illness, highlighting the vulnerability of the human being, thereby becomes an important experience, stimulating reflection in order to make sense of one’s life as a narrative. To flourish, it is argued, is to tell a story of one’s life, realistically engaging with vulnerability and suffering, and thus creating a framework through which one can meaningful and constructively go on with one’s life.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Beyleveld, D., & Brownsword, R. (2001). Human dignity in bioethics and biolaw. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bowling, A. (2004). Measuring health: A review of quality of life measurement scales (3rd ed.). Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Edgar, A. (2007). The art of useless suffering. Journal of Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 10(4), 395–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Frank, A. W. (1995). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness and ethics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Griffin, J. (1986). Well-being: Its meaning, measurement, and moral importance. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Heidegger, M. (1962 [1927]). Being and Time (trans: MacQuarrie, J., & Robinson, E.). Oxford: Blackwell.

  7. MacIntyre, A. (2007). After virtue: A study in moral theory (3rd ed). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Mill, J. S. (2001 [1861]). Utilitarianism. In G. Sher (Ed.), Utilitarianism. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett.

  9. Nussbaum, M. C. (2001). The fragility of goodness: Luck and ethics in greek tragedy and philosophy. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  10. Parsons, T. (1991). The social system. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Belknap.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Trigg, R. (2005). Morality matters. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Edgar.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Edgar, A., Pattison, S. Flourishing in Health Care. Health Care Anal 24, 161–173 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-016-0315-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-016-0315-5

Keywords

Navigation