Social Indicators Research and Health-Related Quality of Life Research

Research related to quality-of-life ought to benefit from efforts of researchers trained in diverse disciplines, addressing more or less similar problems, with more or less similar aims. One of the early, great philosophers of science of the twentieth century, Rudolf Carnap, said that what surprised and distressed him most about his work in philosophy of physics was that while he thought his research bridging two disciplines would be welcomed by both sides, in fact it was unwelcomed (Schilpp 1963). Both sides thought his work was neither fish nor fowl, and it was only when the field of philosophy of science reached something like disciplinary status, with its own journals, recognized authorities, classic texts, paradigms, standard courses and so on, that his work received the attention and approbation it deserved. I do not think social indicators research and health-related quality of life research constitute distinct disciplines, but there are relatively independent research groups devoted to the range of issues in each field. In this paper I try to build something like a modest footbridge between the two fields in order to make it easier for researchers in both fields to draw on the body of knowledge accumulated in each field. I hope I have more success than Carnap, but whether or not I do, I am happy