Avicenna and Aquinas on the Religious Elements in Aristotle’s Theory of Happiness

Happiness has been a concern of thinkers for a long time. Aristotle was one of the first thinkers who made happiness the center of his ethical system. According to Aristotle, happiness is the goal of human life and it will be achieved by acquiring moral and rational virtues in this world. Avicenna and Thomas Aquinas, as two leading peripatetic philosophers, respectively, in Islam and Christianity, have presented special interpretations of Aristotle’s theory of happiness. In this research, their interpretation of Aristotle’s theory will be investigated in a comparative way to determine their differences and similarities. The findings of the research show that both philosophers have interpreted Aristotle’s theory of happiness by including elements from their religious traditions. In the practical dimension of happiness, Avicenna adheres to the practical aspects of Islamic law, its divine virtues and vices, and considered their observance as a necessary condition for happiness; Aquinas tries to harmonize Aristotle’s worldly happiness with the religious and other-worldly happiness by bringing in the divine grace and theological virtues. Avicenna places intellectual happiness in the center of his interpretation, but considers the role of Sharia (practical dimension of Islam) as necessary and complementary in Aristotelian happiness; Aquinas considers theological happiness based on the Christian faith to be necessary and have a complementary role, in addition to Aristotelian intellectual happiness.