If you ask people, what happiness is and what it means to them, you will

probably receive many different answers to your question. Some would say that
happiness means being wealthy. Others would say that for them, happiness means
having love in their life, having many friends, a good job, or achieving a certain goal.
Every person has their own way of defining happiness. Philosophers, actors, politicians,
and everybody in between have all weighed in on their own view of happiness. In line
with this, let us explore Saint Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy on happiness.

Thomas Aquinas is one of the towering figures in western philosophy and

theology, so great that he is even called the “Angelic Doctor” by the Roman Catholic
Church. His book, “Summa contra Gentiles” sets out a systematic answer to the
question of what human happiness is. According to Aquinas, true happiness can only
be found through knowledge of God. It is impossible for any created good to constitute
man’s happiness because happiness is that perfect good which entirely satisfies one’s
desire. It would not be considered the ultimate end if something is left for them to desire
and seek.

It is essential for us to understand that there is a sharp distinction between

enjoyment and happiness. Enjoyment pertains to worldly goods and physical pleasures
which tend to be short lived. Thus, even if all of our worldly desires were satisfied, we
would remain unhappy because we still have this nagging feeling that something is
missing. The experience of many rich people and celebrities is a great evidence of this
truth. Despite having every worldly good like fine foods, cars, houses, vacations, friends
and family, many of them remain deeply unhappy, even spiralling to the misery of
drugs and suicide. Aquinas explained that when every enjoyment is felt, the soul begins
to crave for “something more” than enjoyment. But if one has no knowledge of this
“something more” or doesn’t know how to find it, the enjoyment turns to pain and
suffering. This “something more” is ultimate happiness. True knowledge of God will let us
experience ultimate happiness which is a pure and everlasting bliss that will be the
satisfaction of every human desire and obliteration of every sadness or worry.

In conclusion, Aquinas held the following views about human happiness: First,
that perfect happiness is not possible in this lifetime, but only in the afterlife for those
who achieve a direct perception of God. Second, that there is an important distinction
between enjoyment and happiness. Enjoyment concerns satisfaction of worldly desire
whereas happiness concerns obtaining our absolute perfection, which by definition
can only be found in the absolute Being. Thus, God alone constitutes man’s happiness.