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SUMMARY:Reasoning about well-being: between psychometrics and philosophy -
  Anna Alexandrova (Department of History and Philosophy of Science)
DTSTART:20121025T153000Z
DTEND:20121025T170000Z
UID:TALK40284@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Helen Curry
DESCRIPTION:Well-being is nowadays an object of science. It has various fo
 rmal properties: precise definitions\, measurement procedures\, causal map
 s. But along with that\, it remains an object of social policy and persona
 l deliberation\, and this requires normativity – well-being must be some
 thing worth pursuing and promoting. That is\, a scientific construct of we
 ll-being must refer to something that a normative argument identifies as r
 easonably close to well-being. What sort of argument and how can we secure
  it? Philosophers think such an argument must come from a theory of pruden
 tial value (traditionally eudaimonism\, hedonism and desire fulfillment). 
 Scientists\, on the other hand\, validate their constructs and measures us
 ing psychometric tests. I argue that neither option is right and outline a
  better way.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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