What Is Thomas Aquinas Essay

St. Thomas Aquinas was one of the most profound and prolific writers of his time, and his teachings I feel continue to resonate today. In fact, one of his teachers, St. Albert the Great, once said of him, “We call this young man a dumb ox, but his bellowing in doctrine will one day resound throughout the world.” This only understates the effect this one man has had through the legacy he left behind. His works continue to inspire many, myself included. This man could be describes as a giant among men, for the impact he has had on the world that continues over seven-hundred years after his death. St. Thomas Aquinas has influenced my personal morals and ethics through his teachings on

In Augustine’s article “Virtue and the Human Soul,” happiness is discussed in great detail. What makes a man happy? How do we obtain this happiness and where does

Happiness is something that all people, no matter what race, gender, or social class, strive for. Based on lifestyle or perspective each person has their independent idea of what happiness is, but everyone shares an end goal to live their definition of a happy life. Many people, though, struggle in finding their way to this goal. They face hardships and challenges that test their happiness every day. Happiness, though somewhat indirectly, does take learning and training to discover and maintain.

An opponent to Aquinas’ claim may discuss that the nature of ultimate human happiness just is based on what it means to be human. Specifically, it results from what a person thinks contributes to his or her own happiness. Since every person has different conceptions of happiness, different things can produce that happiness. For instance, a person may believe that ultimate human happiness consists in maximizing pleasure while minimizing pain. This view does not discriminate on the sources of happiness. A person may gain pleasure through the acquisition of money without experiencing any pain. If this happens on a continual basis, it is fair for that person to claim that he or she has obtained complete human happiness. This is because that person has successfully obtained what he or she thinks constitutes ultimate human happiness. With this approach, it is unreasonable to say that certain things do or do not contribute to a person’s happiness, such that each person’s happiness is individualized.

Happiness is not a strange term to us. We usually use that word to express our feelings in every day. Additionally, more than a word, “happiness” is what we really need and always seek in life. However, finding and understanding deeply its meaning is not easy. The online dictionary, “vocabulary.com” defines, “Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.” Thus, we always wonder if we are happy or how could we be happier in our life. Happiness, therefore, becomes a goal for everybody.

…. virtue’s semblance. And when a man has brought forth and reared this perfect virtue, he ……. shall be called the friend of god, and if ever it is capable of man to enjoy immortality, it …… shall then be given to him”. (212d) These lines seem to be the entire neglection of material goods, but Socrates is not denying the importance of material goods. He emphasizes on the proper use of the material things rather than the importance of their presence in human life. Socrates is stressing upon the ultimate state of happiness, which would not be disturbed by the absence of material goods. The above line states that happiness is the innate quality of soul. Moreover, he said that when a person realizes his self-equipped and mortal state of soul, then he is able to find the true happiness in his life. The knowledge of true self is the path of happiness in human life. The knowledge of the true self destroys the material desires of people. This quote presents the idea that happiness is the vision of God, which is also a belief of Thomas Aquinas on the ultimate state of happiness (The Pursuits of Happiness) After the thousand years of Socrates’ demise, the master Gautam Buddha is also referred to the Socratic concept of happiness

In a textbook dictionary, happiness can be defined as “the state of well-being and contentment” (Merriam-Webster) , but the plan is for us to find out what happiness means from a psychological standpoint. A psychological definition of happiness is “a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.” (Wikipedia). Common people's happiness may consist of having a good paying job, a happy family, good friends, the list could go on and on about people's different way of defining happiness. No one would know the struggle behind to people's happiness, a well paying job would of consisted of years of tedious schoolwork while

In St. Thomas Aquinas’s document on how greed can create unhappiness can be summed up in one phrase,

Happiness is something everyone has at some time or another. For some people it is very hard to find it. There are many meanings of happiness because not all people feel the same about the meaning of the word. My own personal definition of the word is when you find someone of something that gives your own life a purpose. Obviously that’s not the only reason why people feel happy. Another big thing is that happiness isn’t something you have to pursue, it needs to be something you want to pursue.

But in this life every evil cannot be excluded” (Aquinas, page 3). It is within human nature to have faults and sins. As much as a person will try to live a life that excludes all evils, he/she may hold onto a sin or regret within their lifetime. To Aquinas, he believes that though a person can have an earthly happiness, it holds him/her back from reaching a true happiness. The other type of happiness that can be achieved is perfect happiness.

In search of happiness for millennia, humanity has sought refuge in superficial objects, money, relationships, and nature. However, no one has much been able to define how to truly achieve happiness. It has been defined as achievable by being at peace with your inner self, or just being without worry for the rest of your days. Many Greek philosophers have added to the discussion as well as many Eastern based religions, as well as modern literaries, all claiming to know how to reach happiness.

Saint Augustine wrote that happiness is the ultimate goal of all humans and achieving happiness means pursuing the supreme good. This good, in Augustine’s opinion, can only be found by following God. There are, of course, several interpretations of what God wants just within Christianity.

He recommended gaining a rational control over one’s desires, these desires being those that can be harmful to life such as: lust, greed, pride, and power. He argued that the key to human happiness is to turn away from the body and towards the soul. He said that harmonizing the different parts of the soul would produce a divine-like state of inner tranquility that the external world could not alter. A moral life is to be preferred to an immoral life. This view of happiness is linked to other concepts such as justice, virtue, and the ultimate meaning of human existence. Living a moral and just life would lead to a happier life.

Happiness is the fundamental objective of life. This bold statement is unanimously agreed upon among generations of people on every corner of our planet. However, the real question that has been contested for centuries is the true meaning of happiness? The true meaning of happiness is one of the most highly debated philosophy topics in history. Most famous are the writings of Aristotle and John Stuart Mill who both paint very opposing pictures of happiness. Mill believes happiness is obtained through pleasure and the absence of pain. On the other hand, Aristotle insist happiness is obtained through living a fulfilling, virtuous life. This passage will examine Aristotle 's and Mill 's views on happiness as well as give an opinion one which philosophical theory is most convincing.

In Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, he discusses his insights on man as a being made in God’s image and relates this to the goals of man, his purpose in life, the end he wishes to achieve and the concept of happiness and how it is attained. Aquinas believes that humans willingly strive to achieve an ultimate end which is, in turn, and ultimate good. Evidently, his excerpt revolves around the idea that true happiness lies in the ultimate good. Aquinas states, “Were there no ultimate end, nothing would be desired.” This is to say that God is the ultimate end because he is the first good. Thus, we can never truly happy