Jānis Pliekšāns’ (Rainis’) “Formula of Happiness”

Abstract

The article focuses on the analysis of the understanding of “formula of happiness” of Jānis Pliekšāns (Rainis), lawyer, philosopher and the most famous Latvian poet. Rainis’ works were created at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries. This is the time when the legal consciousness of the Latvian State was evolving and the Republic of Latvia was proclaimed (1918). Rainis’ views in the philosophy of law were significantly influenced by the theory of Marxism and the fight for rights described by Rudolf von Ihering. Rainis’ “formula of happiness” means interminable self-improvement in the struggle for personal happiness with the aim of leading the whole humanity towards happiness. The ultimate happiness is work for the benefit of all people. -/- The article was prepared within the framework of the project “Interaction between the individual, the society and the state in process of the history of Latvia: conflicting values and formation of shared values during historical turning points” (project number: VPP-IZM-2018/1-0018).