Flourishing as the central aim of education: Steps toward a consensus

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Abstract

Lately, several key experts have proposed that well-being and flourishing ought to be the ultimate aim of education. To make this aspiration into reality, we need (1) a shared normative vision, (2) a shared understanding of key features of flourishing, and (3) shared flagship indicators to assess flourishing. Normatively, while the aim of education indeed ought to be the lifelong flourishing of the students, promoting it requires recognizing potential trade-offs between students’ current well-being and lifelong flourishing as well as each student’s individualistic flourishing and the capability of the society to promote the flourishing of all. Flourishing itself involves the following three dimensions: subjectively experienced well-being, psychological functioning, and certain foundational capacities and virtues through which human potential is realized. We need consensus around these elements and their lead indicators to transform the abstract aspiration into a trackable target pursued through evidence-based practices by education systems around the world.

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