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Neurotheological Eudaimonia

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Handbook of Neuroethics

Abstract

The Aristotelian concept of eudaimonia, variously translated as “happiness” or “flourishing,” has been a foundational principle of the Western philosophical tradition of virtue ethics. The theology of Thomas Aquinas transfigured the meaning of eudaimonia, introducing the concept of “infused” virtues. Rather than being acquired through habituation, these virtues can be understood metaphorically as removing a person’s “spiritual autism,” enabling second-person relatedness to God. This chapter applies these general principles to examine the everyday role of second-person relatedness in ethical formation, reviewing research into the neural conditions and concomitants of joint attention, and implications for a new understanding of virtue ethics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford, 34 St Giles, Oxford, UK

    Andrew Pinsent

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  1. Andrew Pinsent
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Correspondence to Andrew Pinsent .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Jens Clausen

  2. The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

    Neil Levy

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Pinsent, A. (2015). Neurotheological Eudaimonia. In: Clausen, J., Levy, N. (eds) Handbook of Neuroethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4707-4_100

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4707-4_100

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