Happiness – a primer for theological engagement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17570/stj.2015.v1n1.a15Keywords:
Happiness, Well-being, Life satisfaction, Quality of life, FlourishingAbstract
This essay discerns themes in the interdisciplinary study of happiness. We distinguish between the concepts of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness, as well as the concepts of well-being and quality of life. We also discuss the role of some determinants of happiness (income, relationships, life phase, geography and religion). We conclude by suggesting points of contact (the flourishing agent, determinants of happiness, anamnesis and eschatology, and the quest for meaning) where theological engagement can significantly clarify and enrich the happiness discourse.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2015 Izak Johannes Van der Merwe
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Please note that erroneous copyright information is given in the PDFs before Volume 9, 2023.
