Philosophy can be described as a chance for a person to undertake an opportunity to understand themselves, our world and society, and relations between ourselves and one another. Those who are able to study philosophy can find out what is to be human, what kind of person is it good to be, and especially how are we to live a good life. I, myself, have had an opportunity to take a philosophy class and as my time in philosophy is starting to come to a close, I am suddenly realizing how philosophy has changed the aspects and my outlook upon my life.
When I had first signed up to partake in philosophy, I did expect to be bombarded with numerous amounts of famous philosophers such as Protagoras, Socrates. Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and much
Eudaimonia, in terms of good, is a subjective word. Not only from our textbooks have there been discussions about what the good life is to us. In the context of our lives, being able to live a good life depends on what we expect to come out of our lives and where we want to go in our futures. Personally, philosophy has helped me to identify my good life. Before the concept of a good life was introduced to me, my idea of happiness in my future was to have a fair amount of money to live comfortably in life without the fear of becoming being poor. However, after learning about the good life in the views of Aristotle, it is safe to say that the idea of my happiness has entirely changed. Money, although helpful, only causes pain. It seems to me that once you start to earn money, you will want more than what you need and you will grow to become greedy. I would rather live happily having a job that I love to do, wake up every morning to the same cup of cheap coffee, and read every day to my heart's content than to turn greedy for money. Moreover, money is not materialistic to me and cannot buy my happiness, so I will live by Aristotle's words and live my life with the intent of my actions leading to my happiness. Even so, my idea of a good life is nowhere near the same as another person’s. Statistically, with the population being 7.6 billion, opinions on what is good life differs for each
Not only is it an opportunity to understand ourselves, but we can also learn about teachings form different philosophers that we can apply to other people and in real world. Additionally, philosophy can teaches us the we are not as aware as we think we are. From all the concepts, theories, and teachings from different philosophers that I have been introduced to, I feel as if I still fetus that has yet to be introduced into the actual world. However, I am delighted that I had the opportunity to take a philosophy class and to gain a better understanding of how this world actually works. If it was not for this class, my perspective on how I view the world now would forever be lost in my unimpeded
In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics we are given the Greek term Eudaimonia, its definition being a contented sate of being happy, healthy and prosperous. For Aristotle, Eudaimonia or happiness is our ultimate goal. Aristotle states that most people see happiness as something physical and this way of thinking is faulted because we do not have the appropriate image of a good life. He goes on to tell us that our view is faulted because most people are not virtuous. The reason for the deficiency in virtue found in society is that people are not thought virtue correctly from a young age. Aristotle believes that people can only reach their ultimate goal of happiness by living a virtuous life and making the right decisions. The quote given to us states
Philosophy originated from the Greek word “Philosophia” which signify the love for wisdom. It was coin by the Greek philosopher Pythagoras around 500 B.C. It deals with a systematic and critical study of fundamental questions that arise both in everyday’s life and through the practice of other disciplines.
Modern sciences have either directly emerged from philosophy or are very closely related to multiple philosophical questions. Understanding philosophy, as well as the way problems are addressed by philosophers, is the key to understanding science as we know it today and in the future. There are as many definitions of philosophy as there are philosophers – perhaps there are even more. Philosophy is said to be the mother of all disciplines. It is also the oldest of all disciplines and has given a rise to modern science, both social and natural conclusions. After three millennia of philosophical discourse and disagreement, it is extremely unlikely that we will reach an exact consensus. My thoughts are that a philosopher is basically a person who engages in the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, especially with the intention of improving or reconstituting them; this is otherwise known as the study of philosophy.
From examining ends and goods, Aristotle formulates eudaimonia. He questions “what is the highest of all the goods achievable in action?” (Shafer-Landau 2013, 616). Aristotle argues that the majority of people agree that the highest good is achieving happiness, however, they disagree over what happiness actually is, for example, some claim t...
Philosophy is a very important part of people’s lives. Philosophy is quite basically asking inquiries about existence, reality and nature of knowledge. To better understand philosophy we must look throughout history. Looking back through history helps better show what the philosophers thought during the time period in which they lived. The relativity of the theories, to the time period, is a very important factor in how efficient these theories they were. The first philosopher’s ideas to people today would be considered either very basic, or insane. Yet, in the time period they lived in, they were considered to be geniuses. Also, looking back through time and studying philosophers and what they believed can help create a better idea for our own philosophical creations. The first philosophers were also known as the Presocratics. They were called this because they were in a time period before Socrates was born. They mainly focused on answering what is the explanation of nature, also referred to as metaphysics. Even before the Presocratic philosophers, we need to look at the ancient Greek poets that created myths and examine how their stories came into being made and how it had an effect on their civilization. These myths are a part of Philosophy because they were the first ideas about creation. The transition between these mythic worldviews and pre-Socratic philosophers’ worldview was important because it lays down the structural work for great philosophers to learn from them and develop further theories based on their findings.
Philosophy is amongst the most difficult and challenging subjects anyone can discuss. Philosophy has changed throughout the years and it can be inquiring and critical. Most philosophers have different theories on how the world should be and there are many issues and questions that arise. What is real; what is truth; what is good; is the mind something separate from the body; and are we free, or are our actions determined so that we no longer have any control or influence? Immanuel Kant and Ayn Rand are two Philosophers that are respected for their different philosophies. Their lives, influences, and thoughts of how we should be as a society are ideas that make them so different.
The “good life” is a subjective ideal, and no two people will hold the same beliefs as to what the “good life” entails. As I was thinking about what the “good life” is, money came across my mind. Wealth may not create happiness alone, but wealth can purchase items that can create happiness. Money can buy a puppy to be my companion and provide me with love and affection, usefulness, and fun experiences. But, then I thought having a puppy would make my happiness depend on the puppy. Why not just have love, usefulness, and experiences in general so that it can span many different avenues. The “good life” is a life in which I can be truly happy, and although money can be beneficial, the three core values that sum what would make me happy in order
Aristotle rejects the idea of universal happiness by explaining how Plato does not incorporate the large number of variants. Aristotle believes that good is not a single, common universal, because what it is to be good is particular to the essence of the individual. One might also argue that other common factors associated with happiness were wealth, pleasure, knowledge, and honor. Aristotle disagrees and found each of these limited to the notion of the good of man. Some benefits that may motivate them to seek better opportunities within their career may be the thought of money bringing happiness and also they will practice living the good life. Developing a good character requires a strong effort of will to do the right thing, even in difficult situations. The general idea that happiness is a result of the wealth is skewed from reality. Wealth is a means to happiness, not actual happiness, one who is wealthy, but is unable to actually use the money is not happy. Aristotle feels the good for man is something that is not dependent on anything else, so being wealthy is not something desirable. Happiness is not pleasurable sensations that can be gained or lost, it is what we seek when acting and is a condition of a person over a lifetime, not at one
Bertrand Russell explains in his article that the value of philosophy is not in the definite answers, but in the questions and possibilities that it raises. He states that “The value of philosophy is, in fact, to be sought largely in its very uncertainty.” This can relate to the Milesians, the answers they came up with weren’t important, but the process used to get them. He says that the more we practice philosophy the more we begin to question everyday things in our life, and we come to find that the answers are only bigger questions. These questions lead to limitless possibilities, broadened horizons, and freedom from what we “know”. Russell hints that philosophy can help you see things in a different light, in a sense taking off the rose colored glasses and seeing the world for what it is.
We humans like to think. Some people take it as a hobby. While others take it as a job. That is basically what a philosopher is. A philosopher is a person that usually thinks about life and tries to find out mysterious questions, and how to solve them. Since a long time ago, in ancient Greece, many people would just meditate about life, and would sit or talk and write books about life. These have always been one of Greek's reasons of why it is so famous. Because of their marvelous philosophers. The most important philosophers from that time and always are: Aristotle, Plato and Socrates.
What is meant by Metaphysics? Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attribute, fact and value.
The term “philosophy” means the love of wisdom, and those that study philosophy attempt to gain knowledge through rationality and reason. 1 Socrates, the father of ancient philosophy, once stated “the unexamined life is not worth living”. This is the most important part of life and it is need to find purpose and value in life. If a person chooses to live their life without examination, their life would lack value and they would be unhappy. They would also be ignorant to the effects of their choices on themselves and the people around them.
According to Aristotle, the good life is the happy life, as he believes happiness is an end in itself. In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle develops a theory of the good life, also known as eudaimonia, for humans. Eudaimonia is perhaps best translated as flourishing or living well and doing well. Therefore, when Aristotle addresses the good life as the happy life, he does not mean that the good life is simply one of feeling happy or amused. Rather, the good life for a person is the active life of functioning well in those ways that are essential and unique to humans. Aristotle invites the fact that if we have happiness, we do not need any other things making it an intrinsic value. In contrast, things such as money or power are extrinsic valuables as they are all means to an end. Usually, opinions vary as to the nature and conditions of happiness. Aristotle argues that although ‘pleasurable amusements’ satisfy his formal criteria for the good, since they are chosen for their own sake and are complete in themselves, nonetheless, they do not make up the good life since, “it would be absurd if our end were amusement, and we laboured and suffered all our lives for the sake of amusing ourselves.”
...good life is, Aristotle still defines a good life in a way that is too specific to be applied to all instances of human behavior. Personally, I see Aristotle’s idea of a good life to be close to my own idea of what a good life is. However, with access to thousands of years of accumulated human knowledge, I recognize that what is best for me is likely not best for everyone, and others must find their own path to happiness on their own journey.
“A student of life considers the world their classroom” – Harvey MacKay. This quote exemplifies what I aspire to become, a student of life. This is a person who is constantly learning, growing, and evolving, and using the lessons they learn as their platform. In order for one to become a student of life, I believe that learning experiences don’t necessarily always have to happen in the classroom. I have found that through traveling and real life experiences, my way of thinking about life and how things happen has been shaped with a broader understanding of knowledge, rather than just by sitting in a classroom and taking notes. I feel strongly that the traditional model of learning is very effective and that there is much to be learned in this manner, however being able to take what you learn and apply it on a much deeper level through visiting new places and experiencing new cultures and cuisines has helped me develop myself further and become a more well rounded individual.