Ibn Miskawayh on the Nature of Happiness

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor at Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University

Abstract

Our problem in this article is Ibn Miskawayh’s analysis of the nature of happiness, and its methodology is descriptive- analytic. Ibn Miskawayh considers happiness as “good” and “perfection” with respect to their holders; so, he establishes some inseparability between happiness, and good and perfection. Ibn Miskawayh has two definitions for the concept of good. He divides this conception into some kinds, namely honorable, praised, absolute, non-absolute, general and so on. Meanwhile, he believes that happiness has four charachteristics : non-temporal, acquisitive, dedicated to the wise, the incomprehensibility of its eternal kind before death. Ibn Miskawayh divides happiness into different kinds such as happiness in body, happiness out of body and so on.

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