Good concept structure follows the substance of the phenomenon, not the discipline

Evidence

I would like to use Martha Nussbaum’s concept of “human wellbeing”—based on Sen’s (1985) work—as an example of a three-level concept in action. She presents a complex, multilevel, multidimensional view of human well-being. This example provides a brief introduction to many of the topics covered in this volume, and illustrates what a complex three-level concept looks like in practice. It is an interesting case because, given that she is working within a very different intellectual context (political philosophy), it reinforces the point that one needs to develop concepts appropriate to the substance of the phenomenon as well as the theory. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts, 139

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach and Nussbaum’s political philosophy — a parallel treatment of multidimensional well-being outside social science methodology.