KIEL ANDREW F.

MALONZO
BSN 1 - ETHICS 33

1. A Hindu, a Taoist, and a Christian are discussing the ultimate purpose of human
existence. Despite the differences in their religious beliefs, do you think they can agree on
what can make a human being truly happy?

Different religion and beliefs can affect someone’s understanding about true
happiness, some people may find true happiness in love, while others might find happiness
through relationship with God or by their religious beliefs. However, all human beings can
agree that external goods like health, wealth, knowledge or even friends, can produce and
attain incomplete and genuine happiness with different aspects in life. Happiness is relative
to someone’s experiences and point of views in life, it will vary how person define its own
happiness but nowadays, there are external and internal factors that can make human truly
happy regardless of religion.

2. Do all men desire happiness? Are there not some men who are masochists, or those who
enjoy suffering or torturing themselves?
According to the scholastics, the essence of happiness is the vision of the divine
essence, as has been said. But some people hold the view that it is impossible for human
beings to see God in his essence, and so they do not desire it. Therefore, not all human
beings desire happiness ‘religiously’. However, I can say that all men desire happiness in
life, even a masochist, he who enjoys suffering or torturing defines his own happiness in
life. All men desire happiness but some are not able to realize how genuine joy can be if
only we do not hinder it from prevailing through the waves of happiness we momentarily
feel. In addition, man's happiness cannot be found in any created good, because the ultimate
object of man's will, the universal good, can only be found in God, who is the source of all
goodness. Happiness is the pinnacle of human perfection, and everything is perfect in the
sense that it is real. All people has its own definition of happiness, some may based in
beliefs and religion and some are through values and external factors therefore, in reality,
all men desire happiness.

3. Is there a difference in the nature of happiness as expounded by Aristotle and Thomas

Aquinas? Are there similarities? What are they?

Yes, Thomas Aquinas claims that our excellence consists in the activity of knowing
and loving God. Thus, when Aristotle identifies happiness as the highest good and our ultimate
end that can only be attain through external good like health, wealth and knowledge in the
living or int the earth. Aquinas concurs and identifies that human being can attain highest good
and happiness after life consists in contemplation of the Divine Essence, and love of God. The
differences between their concepts are very apparent, it clearly states that Aquinas’ concept is
related to religion, that we can only attain perfect and complete happiness after life while
Aristotle states that we can attain happiness here on earth with the external factors that the only
human good is desirable for its own sake. However, both of these concepts may achieve
incomplete happiness while in the living world by different external and internal aspects we
have in our life.