{"id":329,"date":"2025-09-30T10:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T10:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/drkevinsmith\/?p=329"},"modified":"2025-10-14T12:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T12:56:15","slug":"educating-for-eudaimonia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/drkevinsmith\/educating-for-eudaimonia\/","title":{"rendered":"Educating for Eudaimonia: A radical pedagogy of flourishing"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Contents<\/h2>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What Does it Mean to Flourish?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Flourishing is not simply happiness or well-being, it is the practice of living life well, with wisdom.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ergon, Aret\u0113, and Phron\u0113sis<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Aristotle gives us three ideas to consider when thinking about flourishing: Ergon (our distinctive function), Aret\u0113 (virtue or excellence, or how <em>well <\/em>we fulfil our function), and Phron\u0113sis (the practical wisdom we use in living life well).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flourishing <\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px\"><strong>as Radical Pedagogy<\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Flourishing in education requires us to think philosophically about education, its purposes, and the experiences we share in achieving those aims.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Beyond Schooling: Redefining education for flourishing<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Education is an approach to understanding how human beings grow and develop. Schooling, on the other hand, often narrows the aims and means of education to more instrumental concerns. How can we redefine schooling as education?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ecological and More-Than-Human Flourishing<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>While Aristotle argued only humans had the distinctive capacity for rational thought, that doesn&#8217;t mean the more-than-human world can&#8217;t flourish; in fact, it means as we are enmeshed in relationships with the more-than-human world, we have a distinctive capacity to ensure life on Earth flourishes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flourishing as an Aim in Education<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Through thinking radically and philosophically about flourishing as an aim in education, we can envision new and transformative approaches to teaching and learning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Pause for Reflection<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Key questions to help energise your thinking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>References<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>What Does it Mean to Flourish?<\/h2>\n<p>What does it mean to educate for eudaimonia? In a word, eudaimonia signifies human <em>flourishing<\/em>, or living a life of meaning, purpose, and excellence. This concept originates with Aristotle, who argued that education is not just about imparting skills or knowledge, but about nurturing the whole person towards the \u2018good life.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In this post, I discuss the relationship between education and eudaimonia, situating flourishing as the foundation for a radical pedagogy that challenges the idea that education is merely schooling or job training. Instead, educating for eudaimonia means creating the conditions where students can develop their virtues, find meaning and purpose, and celebrate their connections to each other, the more-than-human world, and Earth itself.<\/p>\n<p>Aristotle defined eudaimonia as the highest human good. Too often this is flattened to \u2018happiness\u2019 (<em>hedonia<\/em>), but its original meaning is \u2018to live well\u2019 or \u2018to flourish\u2019. This distinction suggests we don\u2019t just want to <em>feel<\/em> well, but also <em>function<\/em> <em>well<\/em>. Eudaimonia is not a fleeting mood but an active state of fulfilment. It is not something we possess; it is something we <em>practice<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>So how do we practice it? Aristotle argued that eudaimonia is the <em>telos<\/em> (the ultimate aim) of human life. We reach it through three, related concepts: <em>ergon<\/em> (our distinctive function), <em>Aret\u0113<\/em> (excellence or virtue), and <em>Phron\u0113sis<\/em> (practical wisdom).<\/p>\n<h2>Ergon, Aret\u0113, and Phron\u0113sis<\/h2>\n<p>Humans, he argued, are uniquely rational and social. Just as a knife\u2019s <em>ergon <\/em>is to cut, the human <em>ergon<\/em> is activity guided by reason in community. In my module <em>Radical Education<\/em>, I emphasise that we should be reasonable (e.g. supporting claims with justifiable premises), rational (e.g. coherent and logically consistent in our thinking) and sensible (e.g. attentive to perception and feeling). As embodied beings, our senses and intellect are intimately entangled; acknowledging perception as knowing enriches our philosophical thinking.<\/p>\n<p>This leads us to a<em>ret\u0113<\/em> (virtue or excellence). We flourish by exercising reason <em>excellently<\/em> in life. Eudaimonia, Aristotle writes, is \u201cactivity of the soul in accordance with virtue.\u201d So, living well means using reason to cultivate virtues like courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom.<\/p>\n<h3>The Practice of Living Wisely<\/h3>\n<p>Fulfilling <em>ergon<\/em> and cultivating a<em>ret\u0113<\/em> then leads to <em>phron\u0113sis<\/em> (e.g. the wisdom to navigate complex life situations). It is <em>practical wisdom<\/em>. If philosophy is the love of wisdom, then phron\u0113sis is the practice of living wisely.<\/p>\n<h2>Flourishing as Radical Pedagogy<\/h2>\n<p>In research, <em>methodology<\/em> is the philosophical justification for the <em>methods<\/em> we choose to generate and analyse data. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www-taylorfrancis-com.cardiff.idm.oclc.org\/books\/mono\/10.4324\/9781003183938\/pedagogies-future-gary-beauchamp-dylan-adams-kevin-smith\"><em>Pedagogies for the Future: a critical re-imagination of education<\/em><\/a>, I argue that <em>pedagogy<\/em> is the philosophical justification for the <em>methods<\/em> we choose for teaching and learning. A <em><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/drkevinsmith\/radical-pedagogy\/\">radical pedagogy<\/a><\/em> seeks to get \u2018at the roots\u2019 of a world that \u2018rests on very different assumptions and values to those which define the basis and the boundaries of the current system\u2019 (Fielding and Moss, 2010: 40), one that seeks to understand education as more than just schooling or training.<\/p>\n<p>From another perspective, Self-determination theory (SDT) frames eudaimonia as an \u201cintrinsically worthwhile way of living\u201d (Deci &amp; Ryan 2008). It is essentially, a life of growth, authenticity, and contribution. Self-Determination Theory has identified three basic psychological needs that underlie optimal functioning:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>autonomy (a sense of volition and self-direction)<\/li>\n<li>competence (mastery and effectiveness)<\/li>\n<li>relatedness (connection and belonging).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When these needs are satisfied, people tend to experience greater vitality, motivation, and well-being. We can see clear echoes of Aristotle here: autonomy aligns with exercising reason and choice, competence with cultivating excellence, and relatedness with our social nature as \u201cpolitical animals.\u201d SDT research (Martela &amp; Ryan 2016a) even suggests a fourth element, beneficence or giving to others, as part of flourishing.<\/p>\n<h3>Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness, and Beneficence<\/h3>\n<p>A radical, eudaimonic pedagogy means educational systems should care whether learners find meaning in their studies, feel a sense of agency, and develop healthy relationships. Research suggests that students who have a strong sense of meaning or purpose tend to do better academically and personally, even more so than those who report only high life satisfaction (Martela &amp; Ryan 2016b).<\/p>\n<h2>Beyond Schooling: Redefining Education for Flourishing<\/h2>\n<p>An important thread running through these perspectives is a critique of equating education with schooling. If we talk about educating for eudaimonia, we must acknowledge that flourishing often requires stepping outside the conventional school paradigm. Aristotle, for instance, did not limit education to school; it was about life experiences, mentorship, and civic engagement.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, when schooling prioritises competition, standardisation, and economic utility over personal growth, it can thwart eudaimonia. Educating for flourishing means pushing back against purely instrumental views of education and invites educators, researchers, policymakers, and community members to seriously question what is education <em>for<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p>If the answer is \u201cto enable human flourishing,\u201d then policies and curricula should include a greater emphasis on the arts, ethics, outdoor education, and community service; experiences that enrich students as humans <em>being<\/em>. It also involves recognising accomplishments outside academics: a student who has developed resilience through overcoming a personal challenge, or one who has shown exceptional kindness, is flourishing in ways that are often unrecognised in school.<\/p>\n<p>Some forward-thinking educational frameworks, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/ophi.org.uk\/gross-national-happiness\">Bhutan\u2019s Education for Gross National Happiness<\/a> or the <a href=\"https:\/\/positivepsychology.com\/what-is-positive-education\/\">Positive Education<\/a> movement, explicitly aim to integrate well-being into schooling, but fall short of engaging with eudamonia. However, even those these are positive steps forward, we must be cautious not to take a \u2018clinical\u2019 approach that flattens eudaimonia into clinical well-being or a box-checking exercise.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a school might implement a \u201chappiness curriculum\u201d that teaches children to smile or think positive thoughts. While well-intentioned, if such an initiative neglects deeper elements such as, critical thinking about one\u2019s values, empathy, or relationships to others (including the more-than-human), it might give a veneer of well-being without the substance. True flourishing isn\u2019t always accompanied by smiles and laughter in every moment; it can involve effort, struggle, and personal growth. A student engrossed in solving a challenging problem or practicing a difficult piece of music might not look \u201chappy\u201d in the trivial sense, but they could be practicing phronesis and experiencing eudaimonia.<\/p>\n<h2>Ecological and More-Than-Human Flourishing<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/drkevinsmith\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/570\/2025\/04\/PXL_20250214_000320848.MP2_.jpg\" alt=\"bee in flower\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In my module <em>Radical Education<\/em>, eudaimonia involves both human <em>and <\/em>more-than-human flourishing. This approach purposefully invites us as humans to consider our place within the natural world. Practices like outdoor education, school gardening, or nature journaling can awaken what some call critical, \u2018ecological consciousness.\u2019 The holistic education movement encapsulates this with its emphasis on developing connections to community and Earth as fundamental to the \u201cwhole child,\u201d and research supports that nature connectedness is associated with students\u2019 well-being. By including the more-than-human in our concept of flourishing, students are positioned to lead sustainable lives that respect the interdependence of all life. In a time of climate crisis, this aspect of eudaimonic education is increasingly vital; humans are not the \u2018crown of creation.\u2019 We are intimately entangled in a complex mesh of life, landscape, and relations.<\/p>\n<h2>Flourishing as an Aim in Education<\/h2>\n<p>Re-orientating education to eudaimonia might sound idealistic in a world fixated on metrics and economic outcomes. Yet, as we have seen, it is a deeply pragmatic and time-honoured concept. When we educate for eudaimonia, we acknowledge that the ultimate aim of education is the well-lived life: a life of meaning, virtue, and contribution for our students (and indeed for educators themselves). This does not diminish the importance of academic learning; rather, it elevates it. Every educational experience can connect to the question: How does this help us or others flourish?<\/p>\n<p>Educating for eudaimonia challenges us to expand our vision of education. It asks that we attend to the whole learner: their intellect, character, well-being, and connectedness to others and Earth. It reminds us that flourishing and learning are deeply intertwined. By making human flourishing the guiding star of our educational efforts, we honour the fullest meaning of <em>paideia<\/em> (education): the upbringing of a person to excel in goodness and to contribute to a thriving community. This is education not just for the next exam, but life itself.<\/p>\n<h2>A Pause for Reflection<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Theory comes alive through practice. What might an education for eudaimonia look like in concrete terms?<\/li>\n<li>What must educators, researchers, policymakers, and community members both consider, and act on, in order for students to learn how to live life well?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>References<\/h2>\n<p>Aristotle. 4th century BCE. The <em>Nicomachean Ethics: Book 1.<\/em> Translation: D. Ross. London: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n<p>Deci, E. L., &amp; Ryan, R. M. 2008. Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: an introduction. <em>Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), pp.1-11.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Fielding, M. &amp; Moss, P. 2010. <em>Radical Education and the Common School<\/em>. London: Routledge.<\/p>\n<p>Martela, F. &amp; Ryan, R. M. 2016a. The Benefits of Benevolence: Basic Psychological Needs, Beneficence, and the Enhancement of Well-Being. <em>Journal of Personality 84(6), pp.750-764.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Martela, F., &amp; Ryan, R. M. 2016b. Prosocial behavior increases well-being and vitality even without contact with the beneficiary: Causal and behavioral evidence. <em>Motivation and Emotion, 40, pp.351-357.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Educating for eudaimonia reorients schooling to the good life: virtue, meaning, connection, and ecological care. 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