What is Truth? Aristotle, Virtue, and Happiness

Ultimately, what we are talking about here is the goal of happiness. I summarize Aristotle’s argument for how we can be truly happy; we need to choose with our rational mind to let go of simple appetites or fixations on material Truths. We need to be willing to sacrifice or be humble before a greater goal. That greater goal, within the scope of human vision, is treating the self and “the Other” with care and concern. This is Loving and being Loved. For Aristotle, this is Virtue, and as he teaches, the happiest person is the virtuous person. This, simply put, is a life characterized by recognizing human dignity. In Christian Theology, we are all called to the Universal Vocation to Holiness. Where Christians use the word “Holiness” to refer to Loving and being Loved, Aristotle uses “Virtue”. They are the same thing. We can rationally choose to pursue virtue for the sake of better and more enduring relationships. And as we move toward these better and more enduring relationships, we move toward our Authentic Self. Aristotle pre-dates Christ, and in his writing he admits that perfect Virtue and eudaimonia are not achievable in a material sense, although it is still a noble goal worth pursuing. As a result, Aristotle seems to suggest that humans can, in fact, achieve varying levels of “human flourishing”, but as soon as you reach one level, there will always be a higher level of happiness. Christianity argues that if God is perfect Virtue, then there is a way for us to achieve that same level of perfect Virtue (perhaps not in this life), but only if we are ion relationship with God. 

The Trinitarian Abbey in Adare, Ireland. Reason and Free Will in the pursuit of Virtue allows for one to more clearly see the dignity of self and the other, thus creating the potential to more fully Love one another. In a way, Reason and Free Will, rightly oriented toward Virtue, are like glass-cleaners in this 14th Century Abbey. (photo P. Smith)