ABSTRACT

This paper suggests ways in which philosophy as a discipline and practice offers the possibility of a richer account of well-being than currently informs policy initiatives in this area. Sources derived from philosophy – and particularly moral philosophy – support a shift away from understanding well-being as something grounded primarily in the emotions, towards an understanding of its relationship to the well-lived life. Refocusing the debate in this way suggests, moreover, a view of education as a practice that transcends the classroom and that is, in effect, a lifelong pursuit.