HIST-2903 History of Wellbeing & Happiness

1. With the help of this week’s primary sources briefly show that medieval Christianity considered happiness difficult to reach in this world, but that such belief did not prevent medieval Christians to find contentment and wellbeing in life. Refer to the primary sources in your answer.

2. With concrete examples from the lectures or textbook, briefly explain two different views of happiness or wellbeing that were expressed in 1000 years of Latin medieval history.   

3. Read the following (somewhat made-up) circumstance: “On our way to St James of Compostela (Spain), my daughter fell gravely ill. We have stopped our journey until she recovers. My soul is distressed; I fear my daughter may die. Please advise.” Give sound advice to this person according to any medieval author from this week’s module. Mention the source (a medieval author or a medieval text) that inspired your advice column (and the date or century) and remember that the advice has to agree with this person’s or this text’s ideas. 

1. Virtue was an essential part to happiness. Material pleasures were not the sure part to happiness. Medieval studies on happiness equates happiness with closeness to the divine.

2. Thomas Aquinas held some uncompromising views about human happiness. He claims that on earth, complete happiness (beatitudo) is not realistic, but it is an imperfect but acceptable happiness (felicitas). Aquinas goes to great extents to point out what happiness is not: it is not money, enjoyment, prestige, honour or influence. Not only are these things not happiness in themselves, they also become barriers to true happiness because they trap the individual with rewards that are inevitably temporary and unsatisfying. Aquinas is unyielding in his conviction that our true happiness can only be found in the knowledge of Heaven.  No other worldly reward or happiness may really offer us the ultimate good we are seeking. This places Aquinas halfway between those like Aristotle, who in this lifetime claimed full happiness was achievable, and another Christian thinker, St. Augustine, who taught that happiness was impossible and that merely awaiting the eternal paradise is our primary pleasure.

Augustine concentrated more on a view of Neo-Platonism in which a person must reach within their soul and balance their desires with the desires of God. 

In addition, God has essentially created us with a desire to come to total comprehension of Him, but while in our earthly bodies, this is concealed from us. It would take true knowledge of God to be able to see him directly, but this is only possible through a soul that is fully purified. Aquinas also held that there is a clear differentiation between happiness and enjoyment. Enjoyment concerns fulfilment of earthly wish. Happiness concerns the attainment of our utter perfection, which can only be contained in the absolute being, which is God, by definition.

Some significant issues were interpreted differently by Thomas Aquinas and Saint Augustine. Their views were distinct towards philosophy. These authors’ approaches to defining God's presence did not align. And although their views on happiness were identical, Aquinas, unlike Augustine, accepted earthly happiness

Virtue is the path to happiness