What Could Be More Practical Than Mans Happiness - Essay Example

Like other subjects belonging to the realm of the humanities, the use of Philosophy is not that apparent as compared to the relevance of the natural sciences like Biology or Chemistry. Such studies have direct physical consequences. The effect of their absence can easily be perceived and felt by the Human Being. The absence of Philosophy, on the other hand, has no direct physical repercussions. The effect is unseen; it is internal to Man. The use of Philosophy lies in its capacity to help Man scratch that internal "itching" of his, his itch to know the truth.

Just like what we have seen in the discussions, Man has always had that itch to know what the truth is. All the Greek Philosophers that we've discussed try to do this by answering certain questions that boggled their minds. The Mileasans were itching to know what made up the universe. The Pythagoreans tried to see the arrangement of the universe through the use of numbers. Socrates concerned himself with the Interior Man. All of these Philosophers were trying to know what the truth is, as posed by their questions.

That is where the use of philosophy comes in. Like these philosophers, we will also be bogged by questions in our modern world, questions that cannot be simply answered through empirical observation or experimentation. Philosophy helps us answer these questions. Supposing we don't answer them, the physical consequence may not be that great. When someone who earns a Billion Dollars a year, for example, asks what Man's purpose in life is for example and fails to answer it, he will not automatically lose his wealth.

He will still be rich, but internally he will be empty, for he has not found any meaning to why he exists. He will be no different from a machine that works, round the clock. It may be efficient, but it does not know its purpose. Indeed, the ability to scratch that internal itching for truth is something that is very much important to Man. As we have said, it helps him be more "human", in that he can ask and know what the truth is about himself and the world around him. This care for the truth and the satisfaction of the interior side of Man is something that is advocated by the philosopher Socrates.

As what has been said in the discussions, Socrates asserted the importance of improving the soul; that truth and virtue should be given a lot of importance. If Man does not do this then he will not be Happy. This thought is very important given how the world views happiness these days. A lot think that material things could easily satisfy man, neglecting that there are certain things that we cannot see but still satisfies Man from within. Ironically though, whenever Man tries to scratch that sensation for truth, he ends up being itchier.

Sometimes the way to answer a question is through another question. We have seen this in the Greek Philosophers we have discussed. The Milesians asked what the basic stuff that composed the universe is. Answers were given. Thales said it was water. Anaximander questioned this and so on. Just like the Greeks, the modern man asks his questions. It may be about the purpose of his life or even what life even means. Philosophy aids man in answering such questions, inquiries which if left unanswered will leave a great emptiness in him and will hinder him to be Happy. 

In the end, the use of Philosophy all boils down to Man’s Happiness. What could be more practical than Man’s Happiness?