Dr Jaison Ambadan is chiefly concerned with the theory of happiness. He has restricted himself to exploring and understanding Aquinas's view based on Summa Theologiae and related psychological studies.
Aristotle believed complete happiness is possible in this lifetime, and Augustine taught that happiness is impossible?consisting only of the anticipation of the heavenly afterlife. Aquinas held that perfect happiness is not possible in this lifetime, but that people can attain an imperfect happiness which depends on the actualisation of their natural faculties. The highest faculty which a human being possesses is reason. It therefore follows that one could achieve happiness in this life in proportion to the level of truth accessible to reason.
This book was written with only two questions in mind: How can people transcend their level of reason? And, How can people thereby increase the level of their happiness?
