Thursday, October 30, 2008
From 10/29: The Good Life
So what is the key to happiness? Is Aristotle right to say it is some combination of virtuous activity and philosophical contemplation? Further, do you agree that the best sort of society is made up of the best sort of people who maximally participate in the political process? Or is Plato right to say that the best society would be run by the enlightened few? Argue away!
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Personally, i feel as though people today are incapable of running their own lives and handling their own affairs. When considering something like our economy and the shape its in, consider first the deregulation thats taken place during the current administration. Deregulation, in simple terms, is the cutting away of any strings attached to the people. Deregulation has in mind the idea that a free market economy is what is best. Under this deregulation, we've seen hell rise to earth. We've seen the country in its worst condition in a long long while. If you believe a free market economy is the way to go, as i once did, then cut away the strings and chains on society's people and allow them to roam the streets in hopes that they will act the way which is best. If you believe people are capable of handling their own affairs, then remove oversight and let them live. Deregulation, as we have seen, has failed. People appear to need to be regulated. When you set people free, they do not act in a way which is best for a country. People must be regulated; they must have strings bound to them and they make very clear that the only way for them to operate in society is when theyre controlled by another...by their puppeteer. There are few who know how to rule and many who need to be ruled.
I enjoyed Wednesday’s class because it was the first time that I was able to speak about this year’s upcoming presidential election. What made me most happy though, was that most of the class felt the same way as I did about education. Since we are “the future” it makes me content to know that hopefully we will put more emphasis on it in later years and with any luck solve some of the country’s major problems. I believe that everyone deserves an education and although it will probably never happen I feel that it should be free or at least within a range that all people can pay despite of backgrounds. There’s no reason why college graduates should still be paying off their loans/debts into their thirties; but what choice do people have? Either you go to school and find some means to pay for it whether presently or down the road, or you don’t go to college and hope that somehow you can get a job where the pay is half way decent. I live in the city and we don’t have good high schools, but either you suck it up and go to them or your parents send you to a private high school (which are now almost as expensive as college’s depending on where you go). But why should my high school in the inner city be any different than one in the suburbs? Because of situations like that half of our countries population isn’t educated properly or due to lack of authority in schools kids do whatever they want and rarely go to school if not at all. Half the kids I grew up with don’t attend college… either because they can’t afford it or because they dropped out of school a long time ago. That I feel is the beginning of our problems as a country. If we can fix that I think other things might just fall into place. The country’s not going to go anywhere with a “thick” population.
in creating and maintaining the perfect society i agree with aristotle in saying that every citizen should put the city in front of themselves. this creates a city-wide virtue that allows everyone to live excellently. this way everyone lives in accordance and wants nothing less than what is best for their city.
one outcome i found interesting in the main issues for the election was immigration. its safe to say that it is a huge waste of money. the "war" declared on immigration is nothing but a scapegoat for the falling economy by saying that the immigrants take our jobs. the giant wall bordering our country covers about 20% of the entire border and has cost this country millions. that same money could be put into energy research, education, or anything that would actually help this countries economy out.
I think that in a way the key to happiness is a mix of virtuous activities and philosophical contemplation. I feel that in way Aristotle and Socrates are right to say that the highest form of study is philosophy. I agree that to truly understand ones life, it has to be taken in a philosophic perspective. When one contemplates their life with a true idea of philosophy they will find happiness in their actions. For philosophy examines aspects that one would not normally think of. Therefore, if you evaluate areas of your life that remain unnoticed then one has a sense of completeness. I feel that with this sense of completeness, one attains a feeling of happiness because things that were not previously addressed have come to the forefront of one's mind. Building on this feeling of completeness, when one produces virtuous activities it gives them an additional feeling of happiness and completeness for doing something good and just in the world. In a way, one makes the world a better place by producing virtuous acts. I feel that everyone has a desire to what is good, although sometimes extenuating circumstances can lead us astray. However, that feeling remains with us after a virtuous act that produces some good. With this virtuous activity teaming with a philosophical contemplation of ones essence, every person can in some way find a key to happiness.
I believe that the best sort of society is made up of the best sort of people who maximally participate in the political process. I feel that every person has a desire to, at the very least, do what is good for oneself. In a way this seems selfish, however in explanation ,with everyone trying to do good for at least oneself, there are times that effect positively those near to this person. A person may not even mean to do good for another, but with everyone participating in this political process many ideas are addressed. Since so many ideas can be brought to a specific area and be addressed by a political party of good people, there has to be some good. If it were only a few people deciding for the many then perhaps not all thoughts and feelings would be addressed.
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