Abstract:
In this paper, I develop and defend a naturalistic theory of well-being along the lines suggested by Aristotle. According to this idea, the conceptual structure of well-being track patterns of natural normativity that permeate the domain of life along the functional joints of nature. In one interpretation of the idea, it is intrinsically good for living beings to flourish in the sense of fulfilling and integrating their nature throughout life. Due to a number of concerns, contemporary proponents of the idea reject naturalistic interpretations of it. The chief concern is that a theory of well-being grounded in natural kind properties postulated by empirical sciences is likely to contradict our considered convictions regarding the meaning of well-being. In this article, I consider three influential forms of argument based on that concern. Through engagement with these arguments, I develop a scientific sort of Aristotelian naturalism that is compatible with a modern scientific worldview, and consistent with the premises to the most important objections to it. My conclusion is that the Aristotelian approach to ground well-being in nature has a lot of unexplored potential, and is a live alternative to subjective explanatory theories of well-being.