The Human Flourishing Project

Alex Epstein, who describes himself as a practical philosopher, recently announced The Human Flourishing Project. Epstein started the “project to tackle the problem I care about most: human beings lack reliable access to the knowledge we need to flourish.”

In his introductory podcast, Epstein notes that, despite the material abundance in the world today, there are many challenges to flourishing. One of the biggest challenges is the fact that humans don’t automatically know what to do to flourish. We must acquire the necessary knowledge.

Today, there is more knowledge in the world than has ever existed. The problem, Epstein says, is that there is also an ocean of “non-knowledge”–claims that have no basis in fact. How do we separate fact from fiction? How do determine what knowledge will allow us to flourish, and which will lead us on a path to destruction? And this applies to virtually every aspect of life.

For example, consider the wide range of claims made about nutrition, claims that often contradict one another. Given the importance of nutrition, following the wrong advice can have significant and devastating consequences.

When we consider the complexity of human life–a combination of material and spiritual needs–we need access to a wide variety of knowledge. To illustrate this point, identify seven words that capture what flourishing means to you.

If you are a “student of life,” The Human Flourishing Project promises to provide ideas and resources to help you flourish.