Aquinas' Notion of Friendship [2495]

General Information

• Credits: 6 ECTS
• Prerequisites: baccalaureate level or equivalent; proficiency in French
• Learning format: asynchronous distance learning – 100% e-learning
• Language of instruction: French
• Course access: available at any time of year
• Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle

Course Overview

This course examines Thomas Aquinas’ understanding of friendship and its essential role in the pursuit of true happiness. Drawing on Aristotle, Cicero, Scripture, and St. Augustine, it explores the philosophical and theological foundations of happiness and friendship before presenting Aquinas’ synthesis. The course explains how genuine friendship, grounded in virtue and charity, contributes to human flourishing while ultimately directing the person toward union with God. It concludes by showing that perfect happiness is attained only in eternal life, where friendship with God reaches its fullest realization in the beatific vision.

Learning Outcomes

This course enables you to:

• Understand the concepts of happiness and friendship in the philosophical traditions of Aristotle, Cicero, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
• Analyze Thomas Aquinas’ synthesis of friendship and happiness within the Aristotelian-Thomistic framework.
• Explain the relationship between virtue, charity, friendship, and the attainment of human and eternal happiness.
• Evaluate the theological significance of friendship with God as the foundation of perfect happiness and the beatific vision.

Course Competencies

This course is linked to the following competency:

• Situate and interpret the major currents of ancient and medieval philosophy in their context. 

Course Outline

Section 1: Introduction

Section 2: The Concept of Happiness

Section 3: The Concept of Friendship

Section 4: Thomas Aquinas on Happiness and Friendship

Section 5: Friendship and Happiness: Relevance to Eternal Happiness 

Assessment Methods 

Course assessment is based on:

• tracking and completion of the course and of all learning activities. These activities, designed as essential practice and learning exercises, may be completed multiple times and are not factored into the final grade,
• the final assessment quiz, which constitutes the graded evaluation.

Learning Format

The course is taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.
Learning resources include:

• written course materials;
• supplementary documents and, depending on the content, video resources;
• interactive learning activities (quizzes, exercises);
• a discussion forum with the course instructor and fellow participants.

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone with a general level of education equivalent to the baccalaureate, or with personal or academic experience related to the topics covered.

A good command of written French is recommended to facilitate understanding of the content and participation in the activities offered. 

Accessibility

The course is accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device, via the MyDomuni platform.
For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to course content and activities.

Disability liaison officer: cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu. 

Selective Bibliography

• Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, 2 vols., translated by C. I. Litzinger, Chicago, Henry Regnery Company, 1964.
• Aristotle, The Basic Works of Aristotle, edited by Richard McKeon, New York, Random House, 1942.
• Augustine, Confessions, translated by Henry Chadwick, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991.
• Augustine, The City of God, translated by Gerald G. Walsh et al., New York, Image Books, Doubleday, 1958.
• Cicero, De amicitia, translated by William Armistead Falconer, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1959.