ABSTRACT
Luminaries since ancient times have been concerned with wellbeing. Among ancient civilizations that were first in addressing the phenomenon of wellbeing as evidenced by written documents, one could refer to pharaonic Egypt. Advances in science and technology are neutral; their applications, however, can be put to beneficial use in furthering the wellbeing of humans, or alternatively to catastrophic use in harming humans and nature. Protection of dignity, socio-political inclusiveness, and fair dispensing of justice constitute the mainspring of wellbeing. Indeed, the quest for enhancing wellbeing across the ages and among diverse societies has been a central feature of evolving humanity. Nevertheless, progress in wellbeing has often been confronted with contrarian, wayward, or destructive forces – endogenous or exogenous. Conscience and science need to progress jointly, if global wellbeing is to be enhanced durably, and the horrors of conflicts are to be avoided on planet Earth.
