You may have been told you or your skills are ‘flourishing’ by a lecturer, friend, teacher or even family member since being at university. But what does this actually mean? And moreover, how do we determine at what point something can be considered ‘flourishing’?
Led by Simon Duffy, the book launch for Human Flourishing – A Conceptual Analysis for this year’s Festival of Debate featured a conversation with author Eri Mountbatten-O’Malley about what flourishing truly means in the modern world. They discussed examples of who may be considered someone who is flourishing, the requirements for someone to be considered as such, and what we can each do to not only reach that state ourselves, but also to help others, with a particular emphasis placed on morality and ethics.
I found this event to be really insightful. We often consider people to be successful based upon their career prospects, family or social life, or a range of other factors, but this event made me reconsider that, as well as stressing the aforementioned importance of morality in the modern world. Whilst some of the concepts discussed were new to me, I didn’t feel lost at any point, with all of the author’s points and perspectives illustrated well.
The particular use of former United States President Donald Trump was a great way to demonstrate some of the complex arguments that were being discussed, and coming away with an answer that largely left it up to each attendee to decide whether Trump was to be considered flourishing or not demonstrates, in my opinion, the beauty of the concept. Subjectivity is a crucial element to flourishing, which also tied in with Mountbatten-O’Malley’s critique of many fields, particularly academia.
It also gave a unique opportunity to reflect both on myself and those around me to consider how someone can reach a level of ‘flourishing’ for themselves, and how a range of factors may impact this, in what can only be described as an example of intersectionality in practice. I found the way I looked at particular issues change somewhat as a result of the talk and has made me curious to pick up the book and read more (which having not read before the event was no hindrance).
For a very conceptual topic and subject matter of a book, this event was a really enjoyable insight into an element of someone’s being that many of us have never considered, even if we were aware of it. I am eager to read the book and learn more in the future.
Rating: ★★★★★
Human Flourishing – A Conceptual Analysis was published in 2024. Other Festival of Debate events can be found here
