Open-ended eudemonism in healthcare: epistemological and procedural challenges

There is considerable interest in moving ethics theory and methods in healthcare and biomedical research settings toward more engaging practices. This is the chief goal of contemporary open eudemonism which calls for a focus on human flourishing and encourages the use of participatory and dialogical methods to support progress in this direction. This is notably taking the form of diverse approaches and interventions inspired by pragmatism and hermeneutics where ethics grows more organically, and moral learning is valued beyond mere ethical compliance. However, open eudemonism faces numerous epistemological and procedural challenges. The former concern potential challenges with the idea of open and participatory accounts of human flourishing (e.g., ethics agreement on human flourishing is unachievable; skepticism about the contribution of ethics to human flourishing) itself while the latter concern the actual ability to enact such an orientation in practice (e.g., motivation for human flourishing; ethics leadership and the role of the ethicist in open-ended eudemonism). Both sets of challenges require attention and responses in a fuller defense of the promises of this orientation in healthcare, in biomedical research settings, and beyond.