Natural Human Goal example essay topic

How to Pursuit Life " Philosophical thought attributes importance to an intermediary or mediating spirit when it comes to transcending ordinary human consciousness. Socrates refers to his daimon ion when he testifies in the Apology. Aristotle incorporates a similar guide to his idea of / the good life. Finally, the stoics, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius both speak of a ruling principle or as responsible for guidance in the soul". The "Apology" contain three speeches: defense, penalty, and after the trial. The second speech of Apology deals with Socrates penalty, Socrates respond to the given penalty by proposing an alternative one, and the jury had to choose between the two.

The penalty that was suggested by Miletus was the death penalty. Socrates suggested that he, with the help of his wealthy friends, would pay a fine. He will also be treated as an Olympic hero. From Socrates suggestions we understand that he is actually mucking the jury by suggesting ideas that obviously won't be accepted. One of the most important terms in the Apology is the term "Excellence". This term is an alternative term for the Greek term "Arete".

Arete means the Aim, target the path of life. What you are supposed to do. By "pursuit of excellence" Socrates means that a parson should look for his place in society and in life. Finding his / her excellence will bring him / her health, wealth and happiness.

Pursuing wealth and happiness thinking that those will lead one to his / her excellence is wrong. Socrates gives an example of people that are in pursuit of wisdom. He says that in his investigation he found that the people, who looked for knowledge as a main target, (as if it has an intrinsic value), were less intelligent then the common people. "Man whose reputation for wisdom stood highest were nearly the most lacking in it, while others who were looked down on as common people were much more intelligent". Socrates, target in life was to question peoples' way of life in order to help them improving themselves and strive to find their excellence. "For I spend my whole life... to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth.

And I tell you that wealth dose not bring excellence, but that wealth, and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in privet, comes from excellence."For I spend my whole life... to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth. And I tell you that wealth dose not bring excellence, but that wealth, and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in privet, comes from excellence". Here Socrates saying that a man should find his place or the one thing that he is good at, to get to excellence, and that will bring him wealth health and happiness. I think that in our days it is true in some cases but not in others. In a world where you can buy almost everything, even happiness, the majority looks for the place that will give them the wealth, and happiness will come along, wail people that are pursuing excellence are miserable. Stoicism was a group of philosophers in the First Century who made laws that they thought should be followed by the citizens of Rome.

Two of these laws were the concepts of rationality and nature. Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of Rome at the time and he also the most known Stoic. His concepts were vital to the survival of the Stoics. The concept of rationality is what tells a human being what's right and wrong and what should be done and what is good for the human and the state by thinking. "the reason also, in respect which we are rational beings, is common: if this is so, common also is the reason which commands us what to do, and what not to do; if this is so, there is a common law also; if this is so, we are fellow citizens; if this is so, we are members of some political community; if this is so, the world is in manner of a state". Marcus Aurelius says here that the citizens who are ration beings as a part of the whole political spectrum, should combine to make he world one state. He wants the world to join as one state and governed by one, the people are all part of the same political system, so they should join together.

In his Meditations Aurelius talks about every action having a purpose. "Let no act be done without a purpose, nor otherwise than according to the perfect principles of art". He says here that the reason we have is because everything we do has a purpose. The purposes are there because they are the unwritten rules of art. These rules are abide d because they just happen. The art sets its own rules through the purposes of the acts that are done.

No act should be done if it does not follow the rules of art. Yet, the rules of are made by the act's purposes. This meaning everything has a reason why it is done and the purposes are legitimate. A man's life does not become worse unless he makes it worse. "That which does not make his life worse, nor does it harm him either from without or with in". In this quote, Aurileus tells the Stoics that the things that don't harm him won't make his life worse inside or outside including the soul.

This meaning that a person should do what they feel is right, because it will not hurt them physically or mentally. Aurileus says that this is good for a person, it builds character and makes them strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. This rationality influenced the Stoics greatly. They were people who did what they wanted, when they wanted.

They also did what they believed was moral. Aurileus' works inspired the Stoic community, his meditations is where a lot of the ideas of Stoicism took place. Stoicism picked up more followers, because the rational and reasonable writings and teachings of people like Aurileus. Aurileus also comments on the concept of nature. This (nature) is what a person lives in, his or her surroundings and environment.

It can also be the person himself. It is how a person lives, how they adapt to society. Nature is the society; it's the world in which the person lives in. "That which rules within, when it is according to nature, is so effected with respect to the events which happen, that is always easily adapts itself to that which is possible and is presented to it. For it requires no definite material, but it moves towards its purpose, under certain conditions however; and it makes material for itself out of which opposes it, as fire lays hold of what falls into it, by which a small light would have been extinguished: but when the fire is strong, it soon appropriates to itself the mater which is heaped on it, and consumes it, and rises higher by means of this very material". Marcus uses fire as an example of how nature works.

He says that nature adapts itself to what is presented to it, like the fire that adapts to the materials thrown into it. He talks about nature having no requirements to exist, but exists for a reason and wont stop moving toward the reason it exists. The fire makes fuel for itself by burning what opposes it. This is like nature, nature uses what opposes it as a reason to exist and overcome the opposition.

The fire is easily extinguished when it is just a light, but when it is strong it will consume everything in its path. Nature is the same way; it has to be strong in order to exist. Aurileus said "Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself". In this statement, Aurileus uses nature as a sort of retreat for the man. He says that man and nature should work together to coexist.

He describes the beautiful nature as man's prime goal to achieve. This goal is what the man should strive for and this goal is for nature and man to coexist in an environment. Marcus also tells that it is common for man to want this goal, but it is only the man willing to risk and fight for the goal that will be truly happy with nature. He says that to truly coexist as one, the person has to put everything on the line and give it his all. "The nature of that which is universally useful has been compelled to do this" This statement goes back to what Aurelius said about whatever doesn't harm a man does not make his life worse. He says that nature makes it hard for a man to live his life easily and that is what is special about it.

Nature is there to present problems in life and that is what is so enjoyable and full filling about it. The universes purpose is to show a person how they have lived, by how they have overcome the adversity and leaned to become one with nature. Instead of giving up, the true path to living in the natural society is to search for the truth about coexisting with nature. Aristotle's thoughts of ethics conclude that all humans must have a purpose in life in order to be happy.

I believe that some of the basics of his ideas still hold true today. This essay points out some of those ideas. It was Aristotle's belief that everything, including humans, had a telos or goal in life. The end result or goal was said to be happiness or "eudaimonia". He explained that eudaimonia was different for each person, and that each had a different idea of what it meant. Further, he said that people must do things in moderation, but at the same time do enough.

The theory, of "the golden mean of moderation" was the basis to Aristotle's idea of the human telos and concluded that living a virtuous life must be the same for all people. Aristotle maintained that the natural human goal to be happy could only be achieved once each individual determined his / her goal. A person's telos is would usually be what that individual alone can do best. Aristotle described the humans as 'rational animals' whose telos was to reason. Accordingly, Aristotle thought that in order for humans to be happy, they would have to be able to reason, and to be governed by reason. If a person had difficulty behaving morally or with ethics, he was thought to be "imperfect".

Moral virtue, a principle of happiness, was the ability to evade extremes in behavior and further to find the mean between it and adequacy. Aristotle's idea of an ideal state was one where the populous was able to practice ethics and virtue. Therefore, if a person did something to please him or herself, it must also please general public. He said was also important to understand the acts performed towards virtue, because it directly related to the character of the resulting morals. Aristotle felt that fear and pain influenced ethics, as people would avoid that which he / she was scared of and / or that would cause pain.

He believe friendships to be vital in order to be a good person, and that it required "reciprocal and explicit goodwill". Aristotle taught that friendships were uncommon, but could be achieved requiring time to build familiarity and trust. He claimed that this perfect virtue must be achieved and maintained for the lifetime. Aristotle lists honor, pleasure, and wealth as the things believed to make humans happy.

He believed that because honor could be easily taken away it was superficial and that pleasure, although enjoyable, was merely an "animal like quality". Wealth was described as a vehicle to achieve greater status. The moderation of the three vices could be achieved but would not, in-itself produce or guarantee eudaimonia. Instead, Aristotle was of the opinion that wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice, would better lead person to happiness. In conclusion the Apology, Aristotle, and stoics have philosophical thought that attributes importance to an intermediary or mediating spirit. I believe this because everyone in life has goals.

For instance, my goal in life is to have a family and a work that will provide me with a good and free life, by good and free I mean that my work will be a tool to get things, I will work to live rather then live to work. As I see it a lot of people are committing their life to work meaning, looks for excellence in this frame and don't have the time to live the way I see as write way of living. In my ayes this is a miserable existing. And as a general goal I want that my children will have a better life a better country a better world.

And from my point of view people should pursue their excellence but before committing themselves to one thing they should be sure that this thing is their point of excellence.