Last updated: July 2023
What is the goal of behaviors that seek to benefit others, such as acts of generosity or pursuing (scientific/economic/social) progress ? Increasing well-being is a commonly-accepted answer; but what does that mean?
Philosophically, well-being usually refers to how well a person’s life is going for them . In defining well-being, we need to distinguish between what inherently contributes to well-being (such as happiness), and what is a means (or instrument) to well-being (such as money) . There is consensus that a person’s well-being consists of the former: things that in themselves are good for them; but there’s disagreement on what those things actually are.