Conversatio nostra in caelis. La conversación amistosa como perfección del entendimiento según Tomás de Aquino

According to one of the most relevant and consistent theses of classical philosophy, from Plato to the present day, the highest perfection of man and his complete happiness lies in the contemplation of truth. This thesis is also one of the least obvious for the common man, who is not usually extraordinarily wise or saint. Indeed, according to this same philosophy, the act that is maximally perfect is also maximally joyful; however, it is true that ordinary people tend to find much more joy in conversation with their friends than in contemplating ultimate truths. And since the principles from which philosophical knowledge begins cannot be derived or obscure, but are first and very common in the experience of all men, it becomes at least complex to deny all reason to the common and reasonably virtuous man. In this article, I will attempt to show that classical philosophy, particularly Thomas Aquinas, clearly recognized this problem and solved it through an astonishing synthesis of both terms of the opposition: the highest perfection of man is the contemplation of a friend. While the fullest realization of this thesis lies in the contemplation of God in beatitude, I will discuss it under an exclusively philosophical framework, which leaves open—without delving into it—the possibility of a friendly conversation with God.