What is eudaimonia and is it consistent with pain?

[fakename]

What does happiness mean, is it virtue or is it something in addition to it?

Is eudaimonia, capable of being present with suffering and pain?

 

[SonCatcher]

That’s a new term to me so I had to look it up. I’m still not sure I understand its meaning (especially since your question lacks much context) but suspect that the compatibility between eudaimonia and pain is similar to the compatibility between joy and pain.

[BIBLEDRB]1 Thessalonians 5:15-18[/BIBLEDRB]

As Catholics, we believe it is possible to find joy in God even when pain, suffering and/or sorrow is present (thus, that proximate cause for happiness is absent).

Many do so by meditating on Jesus’ Passion and joining their sufferings to His.

 

[Theophorus]

What does happiness mean, is it virtue or is it something in addition to it?

Is eudaimonia, capable of being present with suffering and pain?

I take it this is in reference to Aristotelian/thomistic Philosophy?

Aristotle defines what happiness in his nicomachean ethics, in short eudaimonia in the original greek sense was like a deamon/spirit(not in the malevolent sense christians understand it to mean) which causes/allows happiness, happiness then is something which ‘happens’ to us in this sense as a result of our attainment of a virtuous/good way of life.

Now for aristotle happiness in the most final good/end of man attainable by action and in conformity with right reason(in the ethics he confines himself to this definition, while biblical Revelation tells us the most final good/end attainable in any sense is God Himself). Happiness then is not a virtue in itself but the result of attaining the virtues. He then defines what a virtuous man is what the virtues are(an end in themselves and a means to final happiness)and then asks whether a man can be happy while suffering?

Aristotle would say that a man cannot be truly happy while suffering but if he is a virtuous man and aims at the true good(the good itself) he will carry his suffering and unhappiness with the dignity befitting a truely happy man And as such will never be as truly unhappy, truely wretched as the less/unvirtuous man I’ve done a tad of paraphrasing and shortening but I believe this is the general idea] hope that helps.

 

[fakename]

Interesting replies.

My next question then, is that is happiness a psychological state of elation?

If it is, it seems difficult but not impossible to be happy and in pain.

However, if happiness is for everyone, it seems that it would have to be a type of elation w/o pain since to feel happiness in pain seems to be an act of a hero and heroes are rare in comparison with the whole of mankind.