On making a success of life: ‘human flourishing’ and healthcare

Journal article

To talk of ‘human flourishing’ in healthcare is to enter contested space. This article considers rival views of flourishing and their significance for healthcare, compassion and professional practice. It argues that ‘making a success of life’ is ultimately not in our hands and so criticises quasi-Aristotelian interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount that call for an intentional formation and achievement of virtuous character as a condition of flourishing. Close attention is paid to the moral concepts and instruction arising from the Psalms and the beatitudes of Matthew’s gospel. Practical foci cluster around forms of decomposition in civic, economic and biotechnological dimensions of healthcare. These are explored through a reading of the beatitudes, guided by William Tyndale, John Wesley, Martin Luther King Jr and Rebekah Eklund, and against the background of divine providential and eschatological agency. What making a success of life means for healthcare is identified by attention to the poor in spirit (over against covetousness and arrogance), the merciful (in dealing with good and evil), the pure in heart (in discerning the presence of God among healthcare staff and patients), the peacemakers (contending with the violence which permeates society) and those persecuted for righteousness’ sake (such as whistleblowers).

Authors: Hordern, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Journal: New Bioethics
• Publication date: 2026-02-08
• Acceptance date: 2025-12-22
• DOI: 10.1080/20502877.2026.2620356
• EISSN: 2050-2885
• ISSN: 2050-2877
• Language: English
• Keywords: healthcare; eudaimonism; flourishing; public reason; virtue; beatitudes