The Idea of Happiness by V. J. McGill (review)

582 BOOK REVIEWS profession of my faith in the richness and value of the world...." (p. 15) Teilhard goes on to affirm also his faith in God as well. In this way he is able to transcend the pietistic cultural milieu in which he found himself. Where Simone de Beauvoir became an atheist, Teilhard became a mystic visionary who moves and influences our own culture today. Unifying one's love of the world and love of God is not without danger, however. And Teilhard was well aware of this. That is why two prominent themes appear among these selections: the physical conjunction of Christ with the universe (" cosmic Christ ") and the problem of pantheism. The former idea is Teilhard's resolution of loving the world and God at the same time. The dichotomy is resolved through Christ who is simultaneously one with the universe through his body and one with God as the Word. But this insight opens the way for an objection. Is not Teilhard only a refined pantheist? Aware of this possible objection, the French Jesuit grapples with the problem of pantheism in an attempt to indicate how he differs from such a view. He does this by insisting upon a " union " which differentiates rather than conglomerates into an All. What, then, is the value of this publication? First of all, it is an uplifting testament of faith and optimism for all who read it. Second, for Teilhard buffs and scholars it grants a glimpse into the early mind of this poet, the origins of his thought, and through the excellent footnotes of de Lubac contributes to an understanding of the development of his creative thinking throughout his life. Finally, many of the themes opened up by Teilhard can contribute towards theological renewal in an evolutionary perspective. Teilhard's language was creative and new. All the more reason to be grateful to Hague for his excellent translation of the early attempts at expression found herein. However, the reviewer's copy was marred by a number of printing errors and missing letters (e. g., p. 10) which made reading the text difficult. Dominican House of Studies Washington, D. C. DAVID THOMASMA, 0. P. The Idea of Happiness. V. J. McGILL. (Concepts in Western Thought Series; The Institute For Philosophical Research) New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967. Pp. 376. $6.95. V. J. McGill's The Idea of Happiness revitalizes the traditional notion of happiness. Catholic philosophers and theologians might usefully investigate McGill's approach to happiness: dialectical clarification; impartial comparisons; and openness to the contributions of non-Scholastic philo- BOOK REVIEWS 583 sophical theories. More importantly, the author cogently demonstrates how every philosophical system has contributed to the overall idea of happiness. By pointing out the impact of the concept of happiness on economic policies, civil legislation, and social and political theories, McGill adds a practical dimension that most studies on happiness ignore. Neither a history nor a thematic exposition of opinions, The Idea of Happiness describes theories (Part I), compares issues (Part IT), and reviews contributions of contemporary psychology in light of Aristotelian eudaemonism (Part III) . A review of the most important theories (Aristotelian , Stoic, Kantian, Utilitarianism) provides data for the dialectic of ness of this life require a delving into dogmatic arguments, which are into the human problem of happiness. Although McGill strongly favors Aristotelian theory, he does not set it as a standard for measuring other theories. He rather forces the reader to evaluate each position for its internal consistency and its ability to withstand objections. McGill excludes transcendent theories of happiness from his dialectical development. Why? First of all, he feels that Christian theories of happines of this life require a delving into dogmatic arguments, which are beyond the scope of this study. Furthermore, Christian imperfect happiness in the tradition of Augustine and Aquinas is, according to McGill (p. 89) , " really an understudy for happiness in heaven." Hence, it has little value in itself; additionally, the perfect happiness of heaven is entirely irrelevant to non-Christian philosophies of happiness. Finally, imperfect happiness in the non-Christian sense is attainable through human efforts, whereas Christian perfect happiness is ultimately a gift of God, involving the notion...