Biomaterial Database

Well-being: a philosophical basis for health services. 1994

A Moore

Department of Philosophy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

This paper develops and defends the claim that the promotion of human well-being is a philosophical basis or rationale for health services. It first sketches a case for this thesis, then defends it against various objections arising from the contrary position, here dubbed The Sceptical View. Later sections of the paper elaborate on the meaning of 'well-being', the nature of well-being, and the scope of appropriate health service concern with well-being. In particular, distinctions are made between 'thick' and 'thin' well-being, and between well-being and its various measures. These discussions generate further defences of the philosophical centrality of human well-being to health services.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010686	Philosophy, Medical	The underlying rationale or theoretical basis for the principles of MEDICINE.	Medical Philosophy
D006262	Health	The state of the organism when it functions optimally without evidence of disease.	Individual Health,Normalcy,Normality,Health, Individual,Normalcies,Normalities
D006296	Health Services	Services for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the maintenance of health.	Services, Health,Health Service
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012935	Social Justice	An interactive process whereby members of a community are concerned for the equality and rights of all.	Food Justice,Common Good,Justice,Obligations of Society,Good, Common,Justice, Food,Justice, Social
D012941	Social Responsibility	The obligations and accountability assumed in carrying out actions or ideas on behalf of others.	Obligation, Social,Responsibility, Social,Accountability,Communitarianism,Future Generations,Obligations to Society,Social Accountability,Accountability, Social,Future Generation,Generation, Future,Generations, Future,Obligations, Social,Responsibilities, Social,Social Obligation,Social Obligations,Social Responsibilities,Society, Obligations to
D012945	Social Values	Abstract standards or empirical variables in social life which are believed to be important and/or desirable.	Value Orientation,Values, Social,Value Orientations
D018570	Risk Assessment	The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences. (Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 1988)	Assessment, Risk,Benefit-Risk Assessment,Risk Analysis,Risk-Benefit Assessment,Health Risk Assessment,Risks and Benefits,Analysis, Risk,Assessment, Benefit-Risk,Assessment, Health Risk,Assessment, Risk-Benefit,Benefit Risk Assessment,Benefit-Risk Assessments,Benefits and Risks,Health Risk Assessments,Risk Analyses,Risk Assessment, Health,Risk Assessments,Risk Benefit Assessment,Risk-Benefit Assessments
D018579	Patient Selection	Criteria and standards used for the determination of the appropriateness of the inclusion of patients with specific conditions in proposed treatment plans and the criteria used for the inclusion of subjects in various clinical trials and other research protocols.	Patient Recruitment,Research Subject Recruitment,Selection Criteria,Research Subject Selection,Selection for Treatment,Selection of Research Volunteers,Selection of Subjects,Criteria, Selection,Recruitment, Patient,Recruitment, Research Subject,Recruitments, Research Subject,Research Subject Recruitments,Research Subject Selections,Research Volunteers Selection,Research Volunteers Selections,Selection for Treatments,Selection, Patient,Selection, Research Subject,Selections, Research Subject,Subject Recruitment, Research,Subject Recruitments, Research,Subject Selection, Research,Subject Selections, Research,Subjects Selection,Subjects Selections,Treatment, Selection for,Treatments, Selection for,Volunteers Selection, Research
D018864	Cultural Diversity	Coexistence of numerous distinct ethnic, racial, religious, or cultural groups within one social unit, organization, or population. (From American Heritage Dictionary, 2d college ed., 1982, p955)	Multiculturalism,Pluralism,Cultural Pluralism,Cultural Diversities,Diversities, Cultural,Diversity, Cultural,Multiculturalisms,Pluralism, Cultural,Pluralisms