“Positive Biology” and Well-Ordered Science

Abstract

Philosophers have long asked profound questions such as “What is knowledge?” and “What is the good life?” Such questions compel us to engage in a deeper level of introspection. The philosophical question contemplated in this chapter is “What constitutes ‘well-ordered science’?” Invoking a virtue epistemological construal of knowledge as “success from ability,” the author argues that the study of pathology must be supplemented by the study of the determinates of exemplary positive phenotypes (e.g., healthy aging and happiness). This requires transcending the limitations of what the author calls “negative biology” and treating “positive biology” as an integral element of well-ordered science. Positive biology can help bring to the fore the importance of understanding the evolutionary and life history of our species, thus helping to provide the intellectual frameworks needed to inspire the development of novel and feasible interventions to improve human health and happiness.