Séminaire Cournot – Orsolya Lelkes

Détails de l'événement :

Orsolya Lelkes

will present us her work

Conscious hedonism and basic needs. A thriving life that does not cost the Earth

Our model of progress appears to fail: there is no single country on Earth that has achieved a social minimum while also remaining below the ecological ceiling. The recent ICPP report as well as other evidence urge for a major systemic adjustment.

Lelkes argues that flourishing life (or eudaimonia, based on the ancient Greek concept by Aristotle, complemented by modern psychological research) can be a normative framework inspiring individual and collective solutions. Its key elements are (1) conscious actions (2) with an awareness of “friendship” and the community, (3) a “middle-way” with respect to pleasures, between painful asceticism and indulgence. Ancient Greek hedonism philosophers cultivated the skills for a pleasurable life, but at the same time emphasized inner freedom without being enslaved to our desires. In other words, “wants” are distinguished from “needs” (Max-Neef, Ian Gough). For this, autonomy is essential, and it differs from individualism.

The key task of social policies is to provide basic security and to foster the key elements of flourishing, as these enable individuals to follow more pro-social and pro-ecological life strategies. If basic needs are finite, as argued by modern theorists, sustainable development is possible. There are clearly long-term social gains of such policies, enabling both our survival and our thriving.

The presentation is based on Dr Lelkes’ recent book titled „Sustainable Hedonism. A Thriving Life that Does not Cost the Earth” (Bristol University Press, May 2021).

Orsolya Lelkes is an independent scholar, former Deputy Director at the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research in Vienna and former Head of Economic Research at Hungarian Ministry of Finance.

Lien BBB : https://bbb.unistra.fr/b/fra-e66-6q6