Human Flourishing

The authors of this authoritative and interdisciplinary study are both scientists and committed Christians widely published in the field of science, philosophy and religion. Briggs has just retired from the chair of nanomaterials in Oxford, while Reiss is a priest who has been Director of Education at the Royal Society, and currently holds the chair of science education at University College, London. The topic of the book, human flourishing, has come into focus over the last decade associated with the revival of Aristotelian virtue ethics and research work on character and virtue development, especially at the Jubilee Centre in the University of Birmingham. In addition, the rising challenges relating to mental health and the refocusing of GNP indicators towards well-being reinforce this trend. The joint expertise of the authors makes this book especially comprehensive in its coverage.

It is divided into three main parts: dimensions of human flourishing, pillars of human flourishing, and changing contexts of human flourishing. The argument is clearly structured, with the first part divided into material, relational and transcendent dimensions of flourishing and the second addressing truth, purpose and meaning. The authors use a framework consisting of six intertwined domains of flourishing: happiness in life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and financial and material stability. Their discussion of material dimension addresses questions of poverty and inequality in relation to the well-being and how these can be measured and assessed. They cover the relational dimension across the lifespan and in the context of evolution and the development of prosocial behaviours. The chapter on transcendence starts with drug experiences of ecstasy, but its main focus is on religiously inclined scientists such as physicist Sir Brian Pippard and biologist Sir Alister Hardy, who initiated the systematic study of spiritual experiences. They also cover NDEs and direct knowing of the divine as a key element of deep human flourishing.

The pillars of human flourishing are discussed in terms of the importance of human choices, especially in relation to finding, choosing and creating purpose in our lives. The discussion of truth in relation to ways of knowing and representation is especially timely, covering as it does mathematical truth, scientific truth, truth in the social sciences, moral truth and religious truth – along with their limitations resulting from human bias and our tendency to cling to prior commitments even in the face of disconfirming evidence. They rightly observe that ‘perception of truth is inseparable from the attitude of the person who is seeking, or not seeking, truth.’ (p. 147) And we are also subject to clever emotional manipulation drawing on the insights of behavioural psychology. The chapters on purpose and meaning are interlinked, and, as throughout, informed by a wide range of studies stressing the importance of personal agency, authenticity and self-questioning.

The third part on changing contexts of human flourishing is especially informative and important. The authors write broadly as technological optimists aware of the need for ethical responsibility. The three chapters address limits to predictability, religion and human flourishing, and human flourishing in an age of technology where the very definition of being human is under review. They emphasise that scientific insight does not provide values, especially in a changing and uncertain world where we need to draw on spiritual wisdom. As Arnold Toynbee pointed out nearly 50 years ago, wisdom has never kept up with the pace of technological change, especially against broadly instrumental and technocratic background. The landscape of religiosity is also evolving, and much depends on geographical location.

The conclusion is entitled actionable love: ‘not only can flourishing not be complete without love, it cannot even begin without love.’ (p. 312) Here they insist, rightly in my view, that the transcendent dimension is a key part of human flourishing, and that love is at the epicentre of the Christian message, the essence of flourishing and is its fundamental driver. Individually, we can all contribute to the good common life, and this book provides a deeply reflective consideration of what this means in increasingly uncertain times.