Abstract
Renaissance thinkers discussed happiness on the basis of the religious and the philosophical traditions, which strongly interacted but often discussed the concept at cross-purposes. Whereas Christian notions of happiness centered around God, philosophical discussions usually had in view man’s happiness from a more earthly perspective. Yet philosophers did not agree on what constitutes happiness: Aristotle’s inclusivist view of happiness (eudaimonia) differs sharply, for instance, from that of the Stoics or of the Epicureans (who emphasized virtue and pleasure, respectively). Matters were further complicated by the fact that the Greek term eudaimonia lacks a direct equivalent in Latin, where it was often translated by felicitas or beatitudo. Such matters gave rise to a remarkable variety of views in the Renaissance, as interpreters tried to identify true happiness, often attempting to reconcile these different positions in a way that made sense to Christians who also valued Platonic (or Neo-Platonic) perspectives. This entry mainly focuses on individual happiness, but one should be aware that thinkers also often discussed what makes a happy community or political system.
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Lines, D.A. (2019). Happiness, Renaissance Concept of. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_199-1
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