“Well-Being” before “Welfare society”: Historical Realities and Language

The notions of “well-being”, on both a personal and social level, as well as that of a “welfare society” are the subject of important deliberation as part of the same economic theory. Even if their definition is tied to specific meanings in the context of more recent economic and social changes, their roots are not foreign to the historical situations that have left strong signs of identity. This paper is divided into two parts: the first, epistemological and the second, with case studies. In the context of an interdisciplinary approach, in fact, it is essential to explain the specificities of the historical and cultural research that is not limited to a mere cataloguing of past situations, but offers the possibility of inferring specific cognitive and pragmatic aspects. The case studies refer to aspects of the “common good” in communal Italy, to the origins of economic thought and the “charitable revolution” tied to late medieval charities. The latter were public enterprises that played a role as social and economic facilitators through the organization and management of large landed properties, the circulation of foodstuffs, the supply of services, the construction of a significant communication activity, with a catalytic role for the diverse forms of solidarity.