Christians believe Phil Connors isn’t feasting on the main course of happiness for the following reasons. First, Aristotle doesn’t adequately address the human condition. If Christianity is true, humans are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). However, given the effects of sin (Romans 5), the human condition has been corrupted. The reasons responsible for making God’s presence as obvious as the noses on our face have been damaged by sin thereby making God’s presence hidden (Psalms 89:46; Micah 3:4; Isaiah 59:2).
This missed diagnosis from biblical anthropology is critical because if Christianity is true, then humans were intentionally created to live in daily communion and fellowship with God. Any conception of happiness that excludes a reconciled relationship with God, made possible through the sacrificial act of love Jesus personified in his life, death and resurrection, falls short of the true happiness God created humans to enjoy. So, despite the degree of happiness obtained by Phil Connors, there is a far superior degree of happiness he could be experiencing.
Second, Aristotle assumes that humans have the wherewithal to cultivate the virtuous character needed to flourish. But if Christianity is true, then the corrupted human condition lacks the power and resources to cultivate the kind of character needed to consistently flourish at living life well. Even having the wisdom needed to know what one should and shouldn’t do isn’t enough (Romans 7).
Human beings were created to live in dependence upon the Trinity which is how human agency was originally designed to function. From the above example, just because Phil Connors put together a solid day of living, he has the power and resources to live even better. If Christianity is true, humans were designed to be informed and empowered by God in order to fulfill their true function, purpose and capacity for happiness.
Third, if Christianity is true, then Jesus is the standard by which all moral exemplars are to be judged. Since God is necessarily morally perfect and perfectly loving, God alone is the moral standard. So, lacking knowledge of the way Jesus lived the regenerative life leaves critical gaps one needs to fill and blind spots one needs corrected.
Aristotle’s description of the moral and intellectual virtues covers important ground. But without Jesus’ example and the way Jesus modeled his agency’s dependency upon the Father and Holy Spirit, Aristotle’s remedy to the human condition is inadequate.