On _Thrivality_: Toward a Taxonomical Refinement of Flourishing

This paper introduces thrivality as a conceptual refinement within the discourse of human flourishing. While eudaemonia has historically denoted an optimal moral or psychological state — the fulfillment of one’s nature through reason and virtue — thrivality names something quieter and more resilient: the capacity not merely to flourish under ideal conditions, but to continue being under suboptimal ones. Thrivality concerns persistence, adaptation, and soft resistance — a kind of existential photosynthesis through adversity. It is not the moralised striving of flourishing but the ecological tenacity of life itself: the dandelion through concrete, the pulse beneath fatigue. This paper argues that thrivality deserves taxonomical distinction from flourishing, as it prioritises continuity over optimisation and survival’s dignity over perfection’s promise. By grounding this term, I aim to expand our ethical vocabulary for discussing resilience, especially in contexts where ideal flourishing is structurally or circumstantially impossible.