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Quality of Life Considered as Well-Being: Views from Philosophy and Palliative Care Practice

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Abstract

The main measure of quality of life is well-being. The aim of this article is to compare insights about well-being from contemporary philosophy with the practice-related opinions of palliative care professionals. In the first part of the paper two philosophical theories on well-being are introduced: Sumner’s theory of authentic happiness and Griffin’s theory of prudential perfectionism. The second part presents opinions derived from interviews with 19 professional palliative caregivers. Both the well-being of patients and the well-being of the carers themselves are considered in this empirical exploration. In the third part the attention shifts from the description of “well-being” to prescriptions for the promotion of well-being. Our interview data are analysed in light of the theories of Sumner and Griffin for clues to the promotion of “well-being.” The analysis (1) underscores the subject-relativity of well-being, (2) points out that values that are considered important in every life still seem to be relevant (at least in palliative care practice), and (3) shows the importance of living a certain sort of life when aiming to enhance dying patients’ well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ethics, Philosophy and History of Medicine (232), Radboud University, Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500, Nijmegen, HB, The Netherlands

    Gert Olthuis & Wim Dekkers

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  1. Gert Olthuis
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  2. Wim Dekkers
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Correspondence to Gert Olthuis.

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Olthuis, G., Dekkers, W. Quality of Life Considered as Well-Being: Views from Philosophy and Palliative Care Practice. Theor Med Bioeth 26, 307–337 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-005-4487-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-005-4487-5

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