The Naturalistic Conception of Happiness according to Saint Thomas Aquinas from an Essentialist and Finalist Perspective

ABSTRACT: Happiness is an obsession for every human consciousness. It is a question that plagues human psychology, notwithstanding the varied and divergent answers that are formulated. Happiness is the object of a never-ending quest, and human actions are motivated by the pursuit of this goal. Happiness is, in fact, an aspiration common to all human beings. According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, man is a lost being (as a result of original sin), and he must find God in order to be able to heal this wound in his nature, otherwise happiness for him would be a dream in color, in other words, a phantasmagoria. For the author, in fact, man‟s perfect and eternal happiness, which he calls beatitude, lies in intimate and loving contemplation, that is to say, in the superior and supernatural speculation of truth. From then on, we reproach the Angelic Doctor for not being able to reach the end of his reflection. Between nature and happiness, we argue for the inclusion of a third term, which would be culture, i.e. culture that takes into account the scientific, technical and strategic aspects. In short, if man is to be truly happy, he must integrate all the dimensions of life.

KEYWORDS: contemplation, culture, God, happiness, nature