St Augustine: Happiness and Supreme Good

Happiness is one of the major topics that preoccupied Augustine’s mind in his life time. He wrote extensively on this topic in many of his writings (De Vita Beata, Confessions). But our primary concern here is the exposition of Augustine’s notion of happiness in a short treatise against the Manicheans titled The Morals of Catholic Church [ De Moribus Ecclesiae Catholicae]. Augustine states at the beginning of this work that “we all certainly desire to live happily; and there is no human being but assents to this statement almost before it is made" (De mor. eccl. cath. 3.4). To arrive at the idea of happiness, Augustine first enumerates the causes of unhappiness



CAUSES OF UNHAPPINESS

There are many proximate and immediate causes of unhappiness. Augustine identifies three causes of unhappiness -lack of possession of object of love, possession of injurious object of love and lack of love and appreciation for the object possessed (De mor. eccl. cath. 3. 4).  Other causes of unhappiness appear reducible to these three ultimate causes.

Deprivation of Object of Love

The one who is denied of his object of love whatever it may be is unhappy. The object of love may be attainable or unattainable. If the object of love is attainable but not yet possessed, he suffers a great deal of frustration. If the object is unattainable, he suffers torture. Man strives for the object of his love because he is convinced that it will contribute to his happiness. If the possession of his object of love is happiness, then deprivation of the same constitutes a great sadness.

Possession of Injurious Object of Love

The ownership of an object of love that is hazardous is another cause of unhappiness.  The object of love itself may be morally neutral but its abuse may be very injurious.  For example, power can be morally neutral. But the abuse of power can be disastrous to the powerful.  If the object of love is intrinsically evil, the possession of such can be a huge source of unhappiness.  For instance, the possession of occult power is dangerous. It ultimately leads to unhappiness.

Devaluation of Good Object of Love

Failure to apprehend and appreciate the object of love that is good can lead to unhappiness. When man does not possess what he loves or does not love what he possesses even if it is good he becomes unhappy. The problem is not with the object of love which is capable of giving happiness; the problem is with the recipient who is incapable of appreciating a good object. Ignorance may be one of the reasons one fails to appreciate and appropriate a good object of love.


HAPPINESS AS POSSESSION OF SUPREME GOOD

Key to Augustine’s notion of happiness are three terms; love, object of love, possession of object of love. Man is happy when these three things coalesce together.  For Augustine, man is happy when he possesses what he loves, loves what he possesses, and when what he loves and possesses is the Supreme Good (Summum Bonum). He defines the supreme good as "a good than which there is nothing better." Man is happy only when he possesses the object of his love. However the ultimate object of love is the supreme good. “No one can be happy who does not enjoy what is man’s chief good, nor is there anyone who enjoys this who is not happy” (De mor. eccl. cath. 3.4). Happiness is a loving possession of man’s supreme good. But what is the supreme good?



THE SUPREME GOOD IS GOD

Augustine asserts that man’s supreme good is God. He says “the perfection of all our good things and our perfect good is God” (De mor. eccl. cath. 8.13). Only God possesses all the ‘properties’ of supreme good.  Augustine argues that happiness consists in loving possession of God. The chief good man must hasten to attain is nothing else but God. He concludes that “following after God is the desire of happiness; to reach God is happiness itself.” Man attains happiness by following and loving God.  Augustine remarks that “God then remains, in following after whom we live well, and in reaching whom we live both well and happy.”



PROPERTIES OF THE SUPREME GOOD

First, the supreme good is superior to man. It is better and higher than man. It is that which there is nothing better.  The supreme good cannot be inferior to man because “whoever follows after what is inferior to himself, becomes himself inferior.”
Second, it is capable of being possessed and enjoyed. Since “the height of a follower’s desire is to reach that which he follows after.” It will be futile for man to yearn for a good that is unreachable. If the supreme good is unattainable the desire for happiness will inevitably lead to frustration.
Third, it cannot be lost against one’s will. “For no one can feel confident regarding a good which he knows can be taken from him, although he wishes to keep and cherish it.” Anxiety over losing it will make the good less desirable. The supreme good is that which is possessed without the fear of loss.
Fourth, the supreme good must perfect the human soul. Augustine maintains that the chief good of man is whatever perfects the soul. Since the body is perfected by the soul and that which perfects the soul indirectly perfects the body that is animated by the soul (De mor. eccl. Cath. 5.7).