RATIONALIS FELICITAS PRINCIPLE

INTRODUCTION

Personal happiness is good, but sometimes one’s happiness can be someone’s

problem. It is also believed that the pursuit of personal happiness is what gives a man’s

meaning in life. Rationalis felicitas is a principle that produce rationalized happiness

after a rational action is done. It is a principle that a man’s action should be rational, it

should be in accordance with logic and reason. By that it gives the happiness that

everyone will benefit.

Rationalis felicitas comes from the Latin words rationalis which means

reasonable or logical, and felicitas which means fruitful, blessed, happy, or lucky. It can

be translated to rational happiness in English, or makatwirang kaligayahan in Filipino.

This principle can help people to make decisions that are logical and reasonable in

order to come up with a result that is also reasonable and logical.

PRESENTATION OF PRINCIPLE

According to Aristotle, happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole

aim and end of human existence. Happiness depends on one’s own self, as what was

enshrined by Aristotle as a key aim of human life and a goal in and of itself. The term

happiness in the Raionalis felicitas principle can the temporary happiness, which can be

gained or lost in a matter of time such as pleasurable sensations, or the happiness as

the ultimate value of a person’s life as lived up to this moment, in which measures how

well you live up to your full potential as a human.

No matter what kind of happiness is referred to, the Rationalis felicitas principle

will have the same result, it is to be happy that is in accordance to reason and logic due

to logical and reasonable actions. An example of this is that a person who’s on his/her

deathbed will not regret if he/she will die, it is because every action that is done is based

on reasons and logics. The person have done all his/her action by considering what is

reasonably and logically right and wrong for him/herself and the people around him/her.

By that, he/she can have a justified happiness due to his/her reasonable and logical

actions.

IMPLICATIONS

If people follow the Rationalis felicitas principle, implications may vary from one

another. It is because morality may differ to every person, place, and culture. What is

right and wrong may vary, but still it will be justified. This principle may exercise a

person’s critical thinking and decision making, it is because an action should be rational,

that is analyzed and not just by guessing. Even if a decision will result in a failure, it is

still justified because a failure may be the only reasonable and logical result or the

person’s inability to compromise failure. This principle can develop a sense of optimism,

satisfaction, and pleasure to every decision a person may make, because the principle

will create a sense of responsibility to one’s happiness, therefore accepting the fact that

one’s justified action will result in a justified happiness.

HOW CAN ONE BE MORAL OR IMMORAL?

Morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those

that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Immorality

is the opposition to morality, a person is immoral when they make decisions that

purposely violate a moral agreement. The Rationalis felicitas can be moral when a man

will create a decision that is reasonably and logically good to himself and to people

around him. An example of this is that a father of the family will sacrifice his “family time”

to work overtime for extra money. This is a rational action and will result in rational

happiness, because even though he will have less time for the family, still he will be

happy having more food for the family. By that it is a rationalized action and a result in

the eyes of the father, and the thought that he will do overtime for the sake of the family

will make it morally good.

It can be immoral when a person will make a rational decision even though it

requires immoral actions, but still will result in rational happiness. For example, a

student caught someone cheating, but he lied and told the teacher that no one is

cheating, because he knows that when the teacher will know someone is cheating then

the teacher will not accept the exam papers. So in order for everyone’s paper to be

recorded, the student lied for the goodness of everyone. It is reasonable and logical to

lie because the outcome that everyone will get their score is a reasonable happiness,

but it is immoral to lie when you know it is bad.

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES OF THE ETHICAL PRINCIPLE

The strength of the Rationalis felicitas principle is that it promotes a sense of

responsibility for your own happiness and the happiness of other people. It helps you to

determine more about what is right and wrong, and what choices to make in order to

achieve the most rational happiness. Rationalis felicitas also provides an explanation for

every event occurring in one’s life, by reason and logic, a person can come up with

reasons on how and why it occurred in the first place.

The weakness on the other hand, is that it can disregard emotions and feelings

of a person. It may be considered in decision making, especially if it includes families

and loved ones. But still it can disregard human emotions and feelings in order to

achieve the most rational happiness. Also Rationalis felicitas weakness is that it can

harm one’s own self, because of the sense of responsibility, a serious decision making

resulting in a catastrophic failure can harm the person’s life and will eventually blame

him/herself causing self-infliction.

IS IT ATTAINABLE OR WORKABLE? WHY?

Is the Rationalis Felicitas attainable or workable? It is attainable and workable

because Rationalis felicitas does not involve practices that can harm one’s individual. It

does not harm other personal beliefs and values for one’s actions and results is the

individual’s responsibility. Rather, it helps the individual to create justified actions that

are based on what his/her values and beliefs, and what he/she saw in his/her
surroundings. The Rationalis felicitas only requires the ability to think rationally and to

act rationally in order to gain rational happiness.