Models of “happiness” – A South African perspective

Authors

  • PJ Naudé Nelson Mandela Metro University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5952/52-3-56

Keywords:

Happiness, Segregation, Ubuntu, Modernity, South Africa

Abstract

This article explains the complex notion of “happiness†and the variety of theological approaches to happiness. It then sketches three models of happiness in the South African context: the segregation model deriving from a specific understanding of neo-Calvinism, the traditional African model based on a communitarian notion of ubuntu, and the model stemming from modernity with its emphasis on individuality and rationality. The last section is not fully developed and only outlines a Christian and Biblical understanding of happiness with emphasis on joy in the Lord that stems from both the wisdom traditions and the New Testament letters.

Downloads

Published

2012-01-26

Issue

Section

Articles | Artikels