Moderation in the pursuit of happiness in the views of philosophers from the Lviv-Warsaw School

Abstract

Moderation in the pursuit of happiness in the views of philosophers

                         from the Lviv-Warsaw School

Moderation in times of excessive consumption is seen as a controversial virtue. The article is an attempt at the possibility of revitalizing the virtue of moderation by referring to the ethical views of philosophers from the Lviv-Warsaw School, especially Władysław Tatarkiewicz, Tadeusz Kotarbiński, Tadeusz Czeżowski and Władysław Witwicki. Their considerations in an analytical way, adhering to the principle of clarity of thought and word, present the need for moderation in the pursuit of happiness, understood as a positive balance of our entire life. This reflection also reminds us of Aristotle's principle of aurea mediocritas - the golden mean, which, without losing its validity, can discipline us and warn us against any excess in everyday life. The modus vivendi proposed by Twardowski and his students, who encouraged active action, was based on moderation, which begins with developing a specific attitude towards the world. This attitude showed, above all, not succumbing to the mood of pessimism but also excessive optimism, because both ways of reacting assess reality too extreme. Self-work and moral self-improvement turn out to be helpful in this process.

Keywords

Moderation, aurea mediocritas, happiness, revitalization of values, Lviv-Warsaw School