Tanulmányok

Tartalom

Tartalom: 1. Az erény és a boldogság az ókori görög etikában; 1.1. Démokritosz; 1.2. Szókratész; 1.3. A künikoszok (cinikusok) iskolája; 1.4. A kürenaikai iskola; 1.5. Platón; 1.6. Arisztotelész; 1.7. A sztoicizmus; 1.8. Az epikureizmus; 1.9. A szkepticizmus; 1.10. Az újplatonizmus; 2. Az erény és a boldogság problémája a későbbi korokban; 2.1. Az erény problémája és fogalma; 2.2. A boldogság etikája; 2.2.1. Az eudaimonizmus; 2.2.2. Boldogság és önszeretet; 2.2.3. A boldogság deskriptív fogalma; 2.2.4. Az egyén és mások boldogsága; 3. Az erény és a boldogság kapcsolata a keresztény tanítás rendszerében; 3.1. Az erény és a boldogság kapcsolatának alapjai Szent Ágoston tanításában; 3.2. Az erény és az isteni boldogság Aquinói Szent Tamásnál; 3.3. Az erény és a boldogság az Egyház katekizmusában. János Soltész: The Philosophical and Theological Aspects of the Connection be-tween Virtue and Happiness Humans have always been concerned with questions such as why we live, how to live and what goals should motivate us. It is no coincidence that the orientation suggesting that practically every human being intends to live a happy life already developed with the philosophers of Antiquity. This in turn implies another set of important questions: What is happiness? Where may one attain it? Where does true happiness reside? Ancient philosophers unequivocally speak about the link between virtues and happiness. In their ethics, happiness is a key concept, and they seek to define it in terms of a permanent state of mind, along with the path to reach it. The appearance of Christianity would intensify the tendency that, apart from moral virtues, happiness is best captured in close connection with the virtue of charity, and happiness becomes full in one’s relationship with another person, as well as – among other things – by living the virtue of impartial love at a community level. It is Christianity that discovers the transcendent feature of happiness, based on the teaching of the Bible. In Jesus’ teaching, happiness may be fully realised in the Kingdom of God. In His terms, the formulation of the Eight Beatitudes does not preclude undertaking difficult forms of behaviour, either, within the dimensions of earthly existence. The teaching of the Church proclaims eternal happiness as the ultimate goal of human life and as an attractive prospect that, through faith, represents constant motivation and hope in any situation even in one’s life on earth. The present paper is meant to illustrate this point.