{"id":1154,"date":"2022-05-28T01:16:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-28T01:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningwithleong.com\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2023-06-15T23:57:44","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T23:57:44","slug":"theories-of-human-flourishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/theories-of-human-flourishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Theories of Human Flourishing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An old truism about political and legal philosophy is that every such theory rests on a theory of human nature. If you plan to design a political\/legal system, then of course you will need to have a sense of the types of people who will be governed by that system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By analogy, I would make a similar point about education: any educational system will need to have some theory of human excellence underlying it.<a href=\"#_ftn1\" id=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> If not, then how would you know what or how to teach? These theories about excellence might be implicit or unreflectively adopted, but they are always there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That way of thinking motivated my choice of topics here. There are many, many theories of human flourishing. They\u2019re great, but my sense is that most will be too abstract to be of use to the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For that reason, I start by very briefly indicating the major theories of human flourishing operative in contemporary social science. I gesture towards their links with education, which are often a little abstract. From there, I call out the primary frameworks for understanding the purpose and direction of contemporary education. I highlight the sense of flourishing operative in those ways of thinking and note their use in contemporary educational practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Following the section on background context, I focus on what these differences mean for the student experience. In that way, I\u2019ve tried to shoot for a project similar in spirit to the report I produced a few weeks ago on international educational systems (IB, AP, and A Levels). In this case, the categories are \u201cNatural Development,\u201d \u201cCivic and Political Life,\u201d and \u201cHuman Capital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Those are three very common perspectives, but of course there are more. And in many ways, the three represent ideal types presented in order to emphasize their differences; in practice, there is overlap between them, and most comprehensive accounts of flourishing in education include at least some element of each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background: Theories of Flourishing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are countless theories of human flourishing (e.g., Plato\u2019s <em>Republic<\/em>, Nietzsche\u2019s <em>ubermensch<\/em>, Stoic\u2019s <em>apatheia<\/em>, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, two main schools of thought are popular in modern times:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eudaimonia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hedonism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There have been countless attempts to rework and combine these (de Ruyter 2004)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eudaimonia is most commonly associated with Aristotle. This view conceives of virtue as entailing the cultivation of one\u2019s personal strengths (Aristotle, trans. 2000; Ryff 1989; Hurka, 1993; Maslow, 1970; Raz, 1986)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There have been attempts to use scientific methods to study eudaimonic flourishing, though how successful they\u2019ve been is an open question (e.g., Ryff and Keyes 1995; VanderWeele 2017)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hedonism is, in one sense, what it sounds like: it is about the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. Thus, to \u201cflourish\u201d on this definition is to achieve pleasure and avoid pain (Kahneman et al. 1999; Ryan and Deci 2001; Kagan 1992; Diener et al. 1985; Diener 2000; Pavot and Diener 2008; Fredrickson 2001)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hedonism comes from people like Epicurus, as well as schools of thought like utilitarianism. Notably, there have also been attempts in the scientific literature to study hedonic flourishing (Diener et al. 1999; Watson et al. 1988; Diener et al. 1985)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A word of clarification: hedonism is not about \u201chedonistic indulgence\u201d as we might think of it now (drinking, sexual promiscuity, overeating, etc.). For example, our contemporary word \u201cepicurean,\u201d which can often mean indulgence, is derived from the thoughts of the Hellenistic philosopher Epicurus. However, he did not encourage his followers to engage in wild self-indulgence. He recommended an ascetic life that entailed complicated calculations regarding types of pleasure. He felt that a materially simple and meticulously organized life, particularly when combined with the rigorous study of geometry, could lead to human flourishing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><u>Connection to education<\/u><\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In ancient Greece, both schools of thought were linked to thriving institutes, and in that regard they maintain a close connection to education<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are very often used in scholarly literature, particularly in psychology, though less often directly discussed in educational practice (or even educational research); however, the general frameworks are subtly operative in shaping how parents, educators, and students think about the purpose of education (Lu 2001; Pflug 2009; Furnham and Cheng 2000; King and Napa 1998; McMahan and Estes 2010; Ng et al. 2003; Pflug 2009; Tseng 2007)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Additional accounts: Other, more contemporary educational theories of human flourishing have attempted to draw together the diverse elements one gets in the various theories (e.g., Brighouse 2006, 2008; Allen 2016). As noted in the report on wellness, these might include:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Health<ul><li>Social relations<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Safety<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Intellectual\/creative\/physical pursuits<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Meaning\/existential purpose<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Virtue<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Morality<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Professional success<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Natural Development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The key assumption behind Natural Development is that humans are inherently curious and inquisitive learners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rousseau is the big figure here (particularly his treatise on education, <em>Emile<\/em>). On his account, oppressive social practices or poorly formulated social values may lead human nature astray<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the contemporary classroom, this account takes issue with rote learning based on a prescribed curriculum. The idea is that this style of learning suffocates students\u2019 creativity and natural drive for learning and reduces the joy students take in learning (Dewey 1916; Illich 1970; Rousseau 1979)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In short, on this account, the types of learning methods common in contemporary schools for the last 100-150 years are at odds with how humans learn; this poor fit leads to sub-par learning experiences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the most general sense, it would seem that \u201cflourishing\u201d on this account would entail living out one\u2019s authentic human existence while being unswayed by misguided social conventions. More concretely, the idea is that students will learn more effectively if they are able to follow their natural curiosity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A common theme here might be a sense of \u201cfinding oneself\u201d through learning and incorporating what one learns into one\u2019s life choices<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are more moderate forms of this school of thought, such as those of Dewey. On Dewey\u2019s account, the classroom should be organized according to both the student\u2019s natural curiosity and the structure of the curriculum. To give an example, Saint John\u2019s College in the US is famous for its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sjc.edu\/academic-programs\/undergraduate\/great-books-reading-list\">Great Books program<\/a>, which chronologically follows the development of Western thought (they also have a program oriented towards Eastern classics). On a Deweyan account, while a student may still read most of those books, the curriculum would be sequenced according to the student\u2019s process of questioning rather than the historical order of the publication of the books<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some version of this thinking is most overtly operative in <a href=\"https:\/\/amshq.org\/About-Montessori\/What-Is-Montessori\">Montessori<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waldorfeducation.org\/waldorf-education\">Waldorf<\/a>, and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hightechhigh.org\/\">progressive<\/a>\u201d (in the non-political sense) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.putneyschool.org\/\">schools<\/a>, though there are hints of it in other educational policies, such as student electives, for example<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Common educational strategies associated with this vision of flourishing include:<ul><li>Project-based learning<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Qualitative over quantitative evaluations<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Student-initiated projects<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Independent studies<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Interdisciplinarity<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Inquiry-based learning<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non-hierarchical relationships between educators and students<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Civic and Social Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are several versions of this one, but the basic idea is that education should prioritize participation in the communal life of the society<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On this account, humans are inherently social creatures who can only flourish within a well-functioning social system (or perhaps to effectively participate in the social life of one\u2019s society is to flourish) (Detweiler 2021; Levinson 2012; Hunter 2000; Narvaez et al, 2003; Narvaez, 2002; Gutmann 1999)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Needless to say, some version of this style of thought is operative in any form of <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonreview.net\/forum\/danielle-allen-what-is-education-for\/\">citizenship education<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonreview.net\/articles\/meira-levinson-kip-hustace-practice-makes-citizens\/\">class<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A separate version of this comes through in the school of thought, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.k12academics.com\/educational-philosophy\/critical-pedagogy\">critical pedagogy<\/a> (Apple 1979; Friere 1973; Giroux 2020)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The civic perspective in general, and critical pedagogy in particular, often adopts a sociological view on education: it asks how society relates to the school, and how the school relates to society; the answer often has something to do with how schooling perpetuates inequality (Bowles and Gintis 1976; Anyon 1997)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The central figure of critical pedagogy is Paolo Friere, a Brazilian educator known for developing radical pedagogical methods to respond to colonialism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Critical pedagogy can vary in its execution. In general, there is a sense behind it that current social conditions in the form of material, political, and social inequality prevent a large part of the population from flourishing. Thus, on this account, education should address those barriers first before attempting to use educational institutions to facilitate human flourishing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><u>Common educational strategies<\/u><\/strong> associated with this perspective include:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Community-service projects<ul><li>Volunteer work<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Political campaigning<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Participatory learning<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Student projects oriented towards solving social problems (thus, the social or environmental ill guides the shape of the student\u2019s learning, e.g., a natural science class might be oriented around the theme of climate change, which then becomes the organizing principle behind the curriculum. This can be contrasted with Natural Development, which might have a student\u2019s question lead the way)<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Multiculturalism<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Social justice curricula (e.g., an American history class based on Howard Zinn\u2019s <em>A People\u2019s History of the United States<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Human Capital<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the \u201chuman capital\u201d perspective on education; this view of education is more in line with how an economist might think about schooling (Becker 1994; Grubb and Lazerson 2009)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On this account, education instills value in students in the form of skills and competencies that can then be exchanged on the market<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The idea of \u201cflourishing\u201d here would largely center on a student\u2019s ability to succeed within the contemporary social order by equipping students with the skills that the market is likely to reward<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Other versions of this school of thought link it to things like national or societal progress (i.e., expanding the capabilities of a nation involved in international competition (Graham 2005), or simply bolstering the society\u2019s ability to meet the needs of its citizens) (Tyack 1974)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In many ways, this is the dominant view of education across large parts of the globe. Some version of it is overt in cases of high-stakes standardized tests, programs that recommend majors based on projected future income, vocational education, and so on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In this case, the market largely directs the character of the student\u2019s education, rather than social ills\/communal life (the Civic Perspective) or a student\u2019s natural questioning (the Natural Development perspective)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The perspective\u2019s adherents argue that this is a valuable way of thinking about education because it helps people to make their lives materially better and it can contribute to solving practical problems (the logic being that the market often rewards solutions that provide real value to people)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The perspective\u2019s detractors argue that this approach to education can bleed the joy out of it, undermine its more humanistic or social aims (as embodied by Natural Development and Civic Education), and can lead to narrow training that in time will put the student at a professional disadvantage if their highly specific vocational skills become obsolete (Gardner 2022; Detweiler 2021)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><u>Common educational strategies<\/u><\/strong> associated with this vision of flourishing include:<ul><li>Standardized tests<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Applied fields of study (e.g., medicine, education, engineering)<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Student and university rankings<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Heavy reliance on grades and other quantitative metrics<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Competitive internships<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Leadership positions in student organizations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allen, D. (2016). <em>Education and Equality<\/em>. University of Chicago Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyon, J. (1997) <em>Ghetto Schooling: A political economy of urban educational reform<\/em>. Teachers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; College Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple, M. (1979) <em>Ideology and curriculum<\/em>. Routledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Argyle, M. (2001) <em>The Psychology of Happiness (2nd edition)<\/em>. Routledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aristotle (1985). <em>Nicomachean Ethics<\/em>. T. Irwin (trans.). Hackett Publishing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aristotle (1998). <em>Politics<\/em>.<em> <\/em>C.D.C. Reeve (trans.) Hackett Publishing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Becker, G. (1994). <em>Human Capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis with special reference to&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; education<\/em>. University of Chicago Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bentham, J. (1789). <em>An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation. <\/em>Oxford: Oxford&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; University Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bowles, S. and Gintis, H. (2011). <em>Schooling in capitalist America: Educational reform and the&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; contradictions of economic life<\/em>. Haymarket Books<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aumeister, R. (1991). <em>Meanings of Life<\/em>. The Guilford Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brighouse, H.(2005). <em>On education (thinking in action)<\/em>. Routledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brighouse, H. (2008). Education for a flourishing life. <em>Yearbook of the National Society for the&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Study of Education, 107<\/em>(1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brueck, S. and Grant, C. (2011). The Obama administration\u2019s federal educational policy,&nbsp;&nbsp; intersectionality, citizenship, and flourishing. <em>Race, Gender &amp; Class 18<\/em>(3\/4), pp. 7-27<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chamberlain, K., &amp; Zika, S. (1988). Measuring meaning in life: An examination of three scales.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>Personality and Individual Differences, 9, <\/em>589-596.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Christopher, J. C. (1999). Situating psychological well-being: Exploring the cultural roots of its&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; theory and research. <em>Journal of Counseling and Development, 77<\/em>, 141-152.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daniels, E. (2021). <em>What universities owe democracy<\/em>. Johns Hopkins University Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>de Ruyter, D. (2004). Pottering in the Garden? On human flourishing and education.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>British Journal of Educational Studies<\/em> <em>52<\/em>(4), pp. 377-389<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Detweiler, R. (2021). <em>The evidence liberal arts needs: Lives of consequence, inquiry, and&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; accomplishment<\/em>. MIT Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dewey, J. (1916\/2009). <em>Democracy<\/em><em> <\/em><em>and<\/em><em> <\/em><em>education:<\/em><em> <\/em><em>An introduction to<\/em><em> <\/em><em>the<\/em><em> <\/em><em>philosophy <\/em><em>of&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; education. <\/em>Free Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diener, E. (2009). <em>Assessing well-being: The collected works of Ed Diener <\/em>(Vol. 3). Oxford: Springer. Diener, E., &amp; Biswas-Diener, R. (2008). <em>Happiness: Unlocking the&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; mysteries of psychological wealth.<\/em> Blackwell Publishing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., &amp; Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), <\/em>71-75<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diener, E., Lucas, R., Schimmack, U., &amp; Helliwell, J. (2009). <em>Well-being for public policy <\/em>New&nbsp;&nbsp; York: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diener, E. and Seligman, M. (2004). Beyond Money: Toward an economy of well-being.&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>Psychological Science in the Public Interest<\/em> <em>5<\/em>, pp. 1-31<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., &amp; Smith, H. L. (I 999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. <em>Psychological Bulletin, 125<\/em>(2)<em>, <\/em>276-302<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D. W., Oishi, S., et al. (2010). New well being measures: Short scales to assess flourishing and positive and negative feelings&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>Social Indicators Research 97<\/em>(2), 143-156<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diogenes Laertus. 1966. <em>Lives of the Eminent Philosophers <\/em>(two volumes), R.D. Hicks&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (trans). Harvard University Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fave, A., Brdar, I., Friere, T., Vella-Brodrick, D., and Wissing, M. The eudaimonic and hedonic&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; components of happiness: qualitative and quantitative findings, <em>Social Indicators&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Research 100<\/em>(2), pp. 185-207<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fredrickson, B.L. &amp; Losada, M.F. (2005) Positive affect and the complex dynamics of&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; human flourishing, <em>American Psychologist, <\/em>60, 678-686<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Freire, P. (1973). <em>Pedagogy of the oppressed. <\/em>Harper and Row<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fumham, A., &amp; Cheng, C. (2000). Lay theories of happiness. <em>Journal of Happiness Studies, I,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/em>227-246.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gardner, H. and Fischman, W. (2022). <em>The Real World of College: What higher education is and&nbsp;&nbsp; what it can be. <\/em>MIT Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gilbert, H. (1983) &#8216;Human Flourishing, Ethics and Liberty&#8217;, <em>Philosophy &amp; Public Affairs <\/em>12, pp.&nbsp; 307-322<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giroux, H. 2020. <em>On critical pedagogy<\/em>. Bloomsbury Academic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Glaser, J. (2011). Educating for Global Citizenship Sh&#8217;ma. A<em> Journal of Jewish Responsibility,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 41<\/em>, p. 677<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graham, P. (2005). <em>Schooling America: how public schools meet the nation\u2019s changing needs<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Oxford University Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grant, C. (2012). Cultivating flourishing lives: A robust social justice vision of education. <em>American&nbsp; Educational Research Journal 45<\/em>(5), pp. 910-934<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grouzet, F. M. E., Kasser, T., Ahuvia, A., Dols, J. M. F., et al. (2005). The structure of goal&nbsp; content across 15 cultures. <em>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, <\/em>800-816<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grubb, W., and Lazerson, M. (2009). <em>The education gospel: The economic power of schooling<\/em>. Harvard University Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gutmann, A. 1999. <em>Democratic education.<\/em> Princeton University Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hone, L., Jarden, A., Schofield G. (2014). Psychometric properties of the flourishing&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; scale in a New Zealand sample. <em>Social Indicators Research<\/em> <em>119<\/em>(2), pp. 1031&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1045<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hunter, J.D. (2000). <em>The death of character: Moral education in an age without good or <\/em><em>evil.&nbsp; <\/em>Basic Books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hurka T. (1993). <em>Perfectionism<\/em>.<em> <\/em>Oxford University Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Illich, I. (1970). <em>Deschooling Society<\/em>. Marion Boyars Publishers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inwood, B., and Gerson, L. (1988). <em>Hellenistic philosophy: Introductory readings<\/em>. Hackett&nbsp; Publishing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kagan, S. (1992). The limits of well-being. in E. F. Paul, F. 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Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. <em>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/em>678-691<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson, D., Clark, I. A., &amp; Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. <em>Journal of Personality and&nbsp; Social Psychology, 54(6), <\/em>1063-1070.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Webb, D. (2009). Where\u2019s the vision? The concept of utopia in contemporary educational&nbsp; theory. <em>Oxford Review of Education<\/em> <em>35<\/em>(6), pp. 743-760<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wigley, S., &amp; Akkoyunlu-Wigley, A. (2006). Human capabilities versus human capital: Gauging&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the value of education in developing countries. <em>Social Indicators Research, <\/em>78(2), 287&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 304. Witter, D., Okun, M.A., Stock, W. A., &amp; Haring, M. J. (1984). Education and subjective well&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; being: A meta-analysis. <em>Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 6, <\/em>165-173.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" id=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> Anecdotally, I briefly had my own experience of designing a curriculum dedicated to encouraging human flourishing. During my time in Chengdu, China, I worked with a large education conglomerate to develop a curriculum for human growth that was sort of similar in spirit to Harry Brighouse\u2019s framework (cited in the background section). The project quickly declined as it was rushed to market without my authorization and was largely used to support privileged students in gaining a leg up in college admissions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An old truism about political and legal philosophy is that every such theory rests on a theory of human nature. If you plan to design a political\/legal system, then of course you will need to have a sense of the types of people who will be governed by that system. By analogy, I &#8230; <a title=\"Theories of Human Flourishing\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/theories-of-human-flourishing\/\" aria-label=\"\u9605\u8bfb Theories of Human Flourishing\">\u9605\u8bfb\u66f4\u591a<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-development","category-research"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lifespan.education\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/pexels-mauro-savoca-7531292-small.jpg?fit=640%2C960&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1233,"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions\/1233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifespan.education\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}