What is Truth? Philosophy

          While Philosophy does explore concepts of transcendence and objective Truth, because philosophy is regarded as a study, and therefore an intellectual discipline, it must be regarded in terms of material epistemology. Philosophy, the “Love of Wisdom,” focuses on the pursuit of Wisdom for the sake of achieving Eudaimonia, a term I translated earlier as “happiness,” but more fully understood as “human flourishing”. It is a happiness that comes about as a result of living out one’s Authentic Self. For Aristotle, on whom the following paragraphs will focus, that Authentic Self is a result of enduring relationships between human beings. In terms of Christian Anthropology, it is within the context of enduring relationships that we reflect the image and likeness of the Triune God.

St. Joseph and the Child Jesus at Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners in Dublin, Ireland. Just as we find happiness in the relationships we develop in time and space, so, too, did Jesus. (photo P. Smith)

True happiness is only experienced as one “knows” their Authentic Self. Aristotle claims that this happiness, eudaimonia, is related to a life of Virtue. That is, one who lives virtuously, is happiest. What is the connection between the Authentic Self and virtue? Aristotle uses philosophy to suggest a progression of ideology, beginning with the rational mind and ending with eudaimonia. But within that ideology is a theme of relationship, both internally and interpersonally that ultimately leads to True happiness, eudaimonia. When I start this lesson with my students, after introducing what Aristotle says about Virtue and eudaimonia, I often ask them to do a short writing assignment. I challenge them to connect the image and likeness of God with the concepts of Virtue. The students who think of education in a more utilitarian way, just say things like “God is virtuous so we should be virtuous too. That will make us happy.” The answer is flat and boring, and, if I am honest with them, devoid of any intelligent reasoning. Luckily they are not graded on their ability to actually be smart. But I do get some students who think more deeply. “God is humble relationship,” they write. “Virtue is caring for another person more than yourself. To be virtuous is to be humble and to work for stronger relationships with other people”. My students are not Boniface or Cardinal Newman! But they are on the right track. Often teachers just need to give students a chance to be brilliant. I am not sure what it is about Aristotle, but his ideas just make sense to teenagers when they are presented clearly.