Η ευδαιμονία ως σκοπός της παιδείας στο πλαίσιο του ευρωπαϊκού και του νεοελληνικού διαφωτισμού

The Ph.D. Thesis consists, in addition to the Introduction, of two Parts and one Appendix. Part One deals with European Enlightenment as a spiritual movement and the dimensions that the idea of eudaimonia as an aim of education has taken in its context. Part Two deals with how Greek scholars of Modern Greek Enlightenment, and especially scholars within the ideological circle of Adamantios Korai, approached the idea of eudaimonia or “happiness on earth” as the object of education. The thesis explores the meaning of education specifically for Greeks as a means of happiness, as it is primarily understood as a means of spiritual and political liberation. Education can lead to prosperity and prosperity, which is conditionally based on freedom, both political and individual, should be pursued through an educational content of both moral philosophy, political philosophy, and a properly structured Christian education. Part One, which contains 4 chapters, presents the problem of European Enlightenment in relation to education, in order to establish the relevance of Modern Greek to European Enlightenment in relation to the interconnection of education and eudaimonia. Part Two, dealing with Modern Greek Enlightenment, examines how scholars belonging to the Korai ideological circle approach the relationship of happiness and education. Following is an Appendix presenting, briefly but for the first time, an 18th-century Greek manuscript dedicated to the collection of the Holy Archimandrite of Aigio, which saves a work entitled Practical Philosophy under the name of Antonios Moschopoulos (1718-1788). The work, among others, deals with issues of Ethical and Political Philosophy and addresses the issue of the relation of education and well-being. A precise table of comparison of the chapters between the Greek manuscript and the original Latin work written by Ludwig Philipp Thümmig (1697-1728), a student of Christian Wolff (1679-1754) is also given. In summary, the originality of the thesis lies in the following. (1) For the first time, an overall view is given of the concept of eudaimonia in the ethical and political texts of Modern Greek Enlightenment and its relation to education. (2) It is attempted to ascertain the equilibrium attempted in these Greek sources between “secular-earthy happiness” and “heaven bliss”. (3) It appears that the main source for the ethical and pedagogical ideas the Greek enlightenment scholars used, were the works of scholars representing the "moderate" stream of the European Enlightenment, which were translated or reproduced freely by modern Greek scholars.