Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-being, Jon Elster and John E. Roemer (editors). Cambridge University Press, 1991, x + 400 pages and - The Quality of Life, Martha C. Nussbaum and Amartya Sen (editors). Oxford University Press, 1993, xi + 453 pages.

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Morton
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Amartya Sen ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
Interpersonal Comparisons ◽  
Oxford University Press

Well-being and Despair: Dante's Ugolino

Utilitas ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mozaffar Qizilabash
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Martha Nussbaum ◽  
Amartya Sen ◽  
Prudential Value ◽  
The Divine Comedy ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Capability Approach

This paper considers three sorts of account of the quality of life. These are (1) capability views, due to Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, (2) desire accounts and (3) the prudential value list theory of James Griffin. Each approach is evaluated in the context of a tale of cannibalism and moral decay: the story of Count Ugolino in Dante's The Divine Comedy. It is argued that the example causes difficulties for Sen's version of the capability approach, as well as for desire accounts. Nussbaum's version of the capability approach deals withthe example better than Sen's. However, it fails adequately to accommodate pluralism. I suggest that James Griffin's account of well-being deals well with this example and accommodates pluralism. I suggest that, of the views considered, Griffin's is the best account of the quality of life.

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