Well-being in Latin America

Abstract

This chapter presents evidence from Latin America in relation to the core principles and values of the political settings of well-being in the region. First, the Latin American Buen Vivir approach to well-being is discussed, and links to other approaches to well-being (such as Aristotelian ethics and Communitarianism) are explored. Next, the constitutions of a selection of Latin American countries are examined, with the aim of identifying the central principles of political conceptions of well-being. Evidence from the World Values Survey provides another perspective on the mass priorities of different countries in this region. The Latin American philosophy of buen vivir is a conception of the good that sees human beings as one part of a complex system of life, and human well-being as co-extensive with the well-being of the entire system. The buen vivir philosophy is based on radically different assumptions to conceptions of the good found elsewhere. Social relationships, the Natural environment, and connection to a higher dimension of truth and spirituality are the cornerstone values of buen vivir. The World Values Survey shows that social relationships, particularly family relationships, are at the heart of well-being in the countries studied.