THE GOOD LIFE & GROUP AGENTS
Date of Award
8-22-2025
Date Published
September 2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Philosophy
Advisor(s)
Ben Bradley
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities | Philosophy
Abstract
In this dissertation, I address the question of what the Good Life is for groups that are genuine well-being subjects, namely group agents consisting only of persons. This topic is both novel and timely, for there are “group turns” happening elsewhere in other areas/topics that are relevantly similar to the contemporary well-being literature, and yet there is no analogous group turn in the latter. To begin to fill this lacuna, I argue for several things. First, I indirectly argue that group agents are genuine well-being subjects. Second, I argue for irreducible group well-being. This is the view that a group agent’s well-being need not necessarily be identical to some simple function of the well-being of the group’s individual members. And finally, I argue for a perfectionist view of group agent well-being wherein what is good for group agents involves their capacity for realizing their narrative self-identity through autonomous action. I also show how my view intercedes on topics concerning other group-related phenomena.
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Recommended Citation
Patterson, Adam, "THE GOOD LIFE & GROUP AGENTS" (2025). Dissertations - ALL. 2179.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/2179
