Defining the “good life” is a question that has been sought after for centuries; from among the first recorded pieces of writing, the Epic of Gilgamesh, on to the voice of Socrates in his final days, to a Shakespearean depiction of characters meeting their demise in King Lear and finally to the modern era. We can look back and see that this question has been answered and that those answers are all divergent as they develop from one’s own personal views.
Platos’ The Last Day of Socrates gives us a glimpse into the final chapter of Socrates’ life. Socrates placed his own philosophical twist on what makes something “good,” saying to the jury - that has control of his life – that he “has only one thing to consider… whether he is acting justly or unjustly, like a good man or a bad one” (Apology 54b). Later, through his dialogue in Crito, Socrates says that he has followed his own morals and values, so he is
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The epic tells us of Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s great undertaking to defeat Humbaba and Gilgamesh’s perilous journey to discover eternal life. Throughout the epic we get a sense of the magnitude of importance that it is to be remembered. Gilgamesh speaks that “if I fall I leave behind me a name that endures” so he will never be forgotten (Gilgamesh 71). This seems to imply that at this time a “good life” is one of notability, one that will be remembered always. More to this point, when Enkidu passes – without having done something to be remembered by – Gilgamesh “commanded them, ‘Make a statue of my friend’” so that Enkidu will, indeed, always be remembered (Gilgamesh 96). Ensuring his place upon the pages of time. So, we see the reflection of values placed into the epic that one must “die in shame” if they have not “fallen in battle” or done something worthy of a page (Gilgamesh 93). A “good life” to Enkidu and Gilgamesh is a life that will be remembered for its
He exudes pride in a manner only rivaled by Enkidu, his best friend. Gilgamesh and Enkidu relish in their brotherhood through fighting Humbaba and the Golden Bull. Their shared life is not permanent however. After they defeated the Golden Bull, the gods look down upon Enkidu and Gilgamesh, in which they decide one of them needs to die. As the book carries on, Enkidu is struck with a deathly illness and inevitably passes on. This changes Gilgamesh’s mindset towards death. In Mitchell’s translation, it reads,“If my grief is violent enough, perhaps he will come back to life again.’ For six days and seven nights I mourned him until a maggot fell out of his nose. Then, I was frightened, I was terrified by death” (Mitchell 167). Gilgamesh, who before was enthralled with the idea of dying a hero, suddenly became terrified of death. This growth, albeit not positive growth, was a direct result of the prior circumstances. The heroes’ shared hubris angered the gods who struck Enkidu down, causing Gilgamesh to lose his best friends. This loss causes gilgamesh to grow by fearing
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that deals with various sub conflicts that are known to create a lasting impression on how we view the characters and their status in the general schemes. Sub conflicts like Immortality vs mortality, betrayal, death, violence and sorrow, gives us a grand perspective of how negative and pessimistic the general schemes and plot of the Epic truly is. Today I will be arguing that The Epic of Gilgamesh takes a pessimistic view on mortality. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character Gilgamesh is conflicted with the death of his best friend Enkidu, in fear of death; he goes to Utanapishtim who is an immortal that is also human. Utanapishtim tells Gilgamesh about the cure and where to find it; Gilgamesh finds the cure but sets it
Life is packed with adventures, some people enjoy a tranquil life, while others experience exciting events throughout their lives. Life events, together make up the journey that everyone begins when they are born. Essentially a journey is a long and often difficult process of personal change and development. An individual has to go through a journey, a perennial quest to resolve one’s apparent contradictions.
According to Pierre Hadot, “Thus philosophy was a way of life, both in its exercise and effort to achieve wisdom, and its goal, wisdom itself. For real wisdom does not merely cause us to know: it makes us “be” in a different way” ( Pierre 265) This explanation of a philosophical way of life is in all ways the definition of Socrates’ life. Socrates made his way through his entire life living in this way, seeking out wisdom, seeking out answers and never once got in trouble with the court until the age of seventy years old. He believed that by telling people about ignorance and wisdom, that he was only doing so for the good of the people. Socrates even goes as far as saying, “I am that Gadfly which God has attached to the state, and all day long and in all places am always fastening upon you, arousing and persuading and reproaching you”(Plato 9). Socrates believes that he was sent from God to show people a different way of life, a life of questioning and reason to which he should teach to all people. When asked if he was ashamed of a course of life of which would likely bring him to an untimely end Socrates says, “you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong” (Plato 7).
The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first recorded story, follows Gilgamesh as he struggles to deal with mortality, loss, and his limitations as a human. As these ideas develop through the death of Gilgamesh’s friend Enkidu, a central theme around mortality emerges, refines, and develops. During Gilgamesh, readers are shown that one’s acceptance of mortality is important for recovering from a loss, and for accepting the limitations you have as a human.
The epic poem “Epic of Gilgamesh” is about Gilgamesh, a prideful king that acts like a tyrant to his people, faces problems as the Gods try to kill him, and, tries to gain immortality after seeing his friend Enkidu die. First, one should know Gilgamesh doesn’t value his people or his kingdom(Sandars). In my opinion, heroes should be grateful for their friends,allies,and what they have. Furthermore, heroes should not be so prideful like Gilgamesh and be rude to the people he rules(Sandars). Therefore, the hero’s journey teaches us the lesson that excessive pride is bad because it makes you act selfish and love only yourself when you should care for others especially if you are a king or ruler.
“The Good Life” in Socrates mind isn 't’ just simply defined in this primary source, however, it is implied. It is clear Socrates believes that “The Good Life” isn’t about where one ended up, or how much material gain they inhabited through the course of their lives, it is about if they clung on to mortality and lived their lives doing what they believed was good. Socrates says, “A man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong - acting the part
As in every story there is always a hero but the hero of this story is a little different because it is part human and part god. In the beginning of the story of The Epic of Gilgamesh there was no good connection between Gilgamesh and the people that he reined due to his behavior, this was the main reason that Goddess Aruru, created Enkidu half the image of Gilgamesh. Which made Gilgamesh change his whole behavior and attitude towards others. There is a certain point in life where one has to change, and enjoy the delights of life, but for this to happen we sometimes need other people to guide us on the right track. That's what happened to Gilgamesh with Enkidus’ arrival to Uruk.
Socrates states to the jurors in his trail, “No evil can happen to a good man” (48). Socrates is examining the moral center of the man. Evil can occur to an individual from the outside. Socrates a good, even innocent, man was sentenced to death. Other characters in history and even today are identified as good, but they still have evil occur to them. Socrates is not talking about an outside evil or harm occurring to a good person. He is examining the soul and what is morally evil and morally good.
One of the main themes in the epic is that death is inevitable, which is shown through Enkidu's death. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh becomes very worried, because he realizes for the first time that everyone is going to die at some point in time. The fact that Enkidu is a close friend makes it even more visible to Gilgamesh that everyone is mortal. Then, along with this realization, comes the theme of denial. Gilgamesh does not want to accept the fact that he will die. He denies the truth, because he does not want to think about the truth or cope with the tragedy that has struck him. "And he-he does not lift his head. 'I touched his heart, it does not beat'" (Tablet VIII, Column II, 15-16). "'Me! Will I too not die like Enkidu? Sorrow was come into my belly. I fear death; I roam over the hills. I will seize the road; quickly I will go to the house of Utnapishtim, offspring of Ubaratutu. I approach the entrance of the mountain at night. Lions I see, and I am terrified. I lift my head to pray to the mood god Sin: For...a dream I go to the gods in prayer: ...preserve me!'" (Tablet IX, Column I, 3-12).
The question of “What is the good life?” is one that I was challenged with by Professor Curta on that first day of class in mid-August. Over the course of a few short months I have examined the many aspects of this question while at the same time applying the concepts to my own life. Everyone’s answer to this age old question is a little different, and is completely dependent on the influences and goals of the individual. To me the good life consists of having a stable future and a group of close friends to spend it with. But like all good things, this does not come without a cost. For me these costs are, having to leave some of my childhood friends behind. As hard as this may be I know that it is for the better, and I keep my eyes on the task at hand, in the hopes of finding that good life.
However, we can wonder if the pleasures that derive from necessary natural desires are what actually brings us happiness, since having a family, friends, a good job and doing fun things seem to bring the most joy in life. Plato’s ideas on life are even more radical, since he claims that we should completely take difference from our bodily needs. Therefore it seems that we should only do what is necessary for us to stay a life and solely focus on the mind. Although both ways of dealing with (bodily)pleasure are quite radical and almost impossible to achieve, it does questions if current perceptions of ‘living the good life’ actually leads to what we are trying to achieve, which is commonly described as
What does it mean to live a good life? How does one go about it? What manner of persons should we be? Many philosophers, theologians, and laymen have ruminated on the subject and drawn their own conclusions. Is there only one right answer? Is there a right answer at all? Perhaps there is a fitting solution for all of us, or perhaps we must each devise our own path to the good life. Of the many individuals who have written on this subject, let us delve into the philosophies of three individuals: Aristotle, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Bertrand Russell. Perchance, within the theories of these three philosophers, a common ground may be discovered.
Socrates felt that, above all, one should be a good citizen and always do the right thing (Plato 18). However, many in his time did not worry about doing what was correct. Socrates realized this, and understood that they did not care to look into their actions and beliefs. Their first thoughts were on the goals that they had, such as money and pleasure, rather than the thought of whether or not the goals they held were actually what should have been considered important and right (Plato 26). Socrates knew that, unless they took the time to question their lifestyles, they would never do the right thing. By living a life that was being examined, the citizens would be living a life that was, for the most part, also right. Socrates believed that a life that was not right was not worth living, which is why he also felt as though an unexamined life would also be not worth living.
McManaman, D. (n.d.). Aristotle and the Good Life. lifeissues.net. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/mcm/ph/ph_01philosophyyouth14.html