Decentralized Wellbeing: Towards a Possibility of Change from a Latin American Perspective
Palavras-chave:
Wellbeing, Buen vivir, communal, BadiouResumo
The article first examines the philosophical meaning of the Andean concept of “Buen vivir” and contextualises it within the philosophical horizon of Latin America. It compares “Buen vivir” with Mexican existentialism and with the philosophy and theology of liberation in order to show that “Buen vivir” is not a local phenomenon, but is part of an anti-capitalist and anti-colonialist tradition inspired by indigenous concepts, which advocates, in dialogue with Western philosophy, a decentralisation of the subject and a positive openness (suspension of determinations) towards the world. This openness is understood in this essay as the communal, which first enables well-being. Well-being is understood as an individual responsibility, which is rooted in the ontological implications of the communal as such. In a second step, the essay aims to show how these Latin American resignifications of well-being can bring fresh air into the Western discourse of well-being and how a change can be brought about in what seems to be a monolithic landscape of political and philosophical thought. It draws on Badiou’s mathematical realism to show how a “Buen vivir” approach can bring the individualistic approaches of Western thought into a substantial contradiction which, in turn, can generate a positive and essential shift towards an inclusive and just society.
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