StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Because only god is immortal and blessed. Others, the human being, are mortal. We should not fear death because death has no sensation so we can not…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.3% of users find it useful
Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action"

Download file to see previous pages

When we are alive death is not there and when death comes we are not there so where is the good or bad feeling about death. It is not wise to teach young to live well while old to end well since in same lesson one teaches live well and die well (Epicurus pars. 2-4). Epicurus considers religious practices and beliefs harmful since these lead one to disturbing thought of death and uncertainty of life after death (Wilson 274). Epicurus defines pleasures to Menoeceus in his letter. He says that desires are necessary for pleasures of life.

These give health to body and tranquility to mind (ataraxia) which is highest pleasure obtainable where all emotional disturbances are removed and only simple needs remain. He explains that pleasures are not in the costly things or sensual pleasures of body, it is absence of pain and trouble in soul. A plain meal gives as much pleasure as a rich spread. A bread and water to a hungry man is divine meal. (Epicurus pars 6-9). He concludes that ultimate evil is pain. It may be fear of death, fear of not being able to attain material wealth.

The ultimate good is pleasure. Wilson (274) presents Epicurus’ view that postpone immediate pleasures to attain higher pleasures. Epicurus thus advised self-discipline. Epictetus’ views on good life and right action: Epictetus and other stoics felt that nature is rational and orderly. Our individual natures are part of universe so living in agreement with nature (homologia) is good life (Long 163). Epictetus and other stoics stated that a morally good life with health, wealth and reputation is one’s choice because it suits to the nature more than the life equally moral but full of poverty, illness and exiles.

For stoics the virtuous life is most important (Meyer 142). Happiness is not doing anything against the law of nature. Epictetus found god or actually demigod (daimon) and human being in partnership. His god is between human and fully divine (Long 163). For a good

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action Essay”, n.d.)
Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1549732-philosophy-the-good-life-and-the-right-action
(Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action Essay)
Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action Essay. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1549732-philosophy-the-good-life-and-the-right-action.
“Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1549732-philosophy-the-good-life-and-the-right-action.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Philosophy-The Good Life and the Right Action

David Hume and Immanuel Kant on our ideas of right and wrong

Accordingly, we try to understand the right things of life in difficult situations trying to do the good in respect of what we are and how we act in order to strive to do the right things as human beings and to avoid the things that are bad.... hellip; One of the major questions that have been asked all through the history is about the meaning and ideology of right and wrong.... What is right and what is wrong?... How can you identify something as right or wrong?...
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Poltical science - political philosophy

According to Socrates, it is the man who does not know himself who cannot accurately judge his own capabilities and his own unique path to the greatest good based on accurate use of his strengths and knowledge of his weaknesses.... Socrates takes this another step by suggesting that knowledge of oneself will instruct from within regarding those things which are good (moral and ethical) and those things which are not.... He suggests this by claiming that things that are good will make us feel happy inside while things that are bad will be immediately...
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

To What Extent should our Actions be Guided by Our Theories in Ethics and Elsewhere

In his quote, one possible interpretation has it that “moral wisdom” is not a matter of contemplative, propositional knowledge, but is a fact of immediate perception and action in accordance with human virtue.... This view of moral philosophy removes the ethical component from moral knowledge, and shifts the paradigm back to simply action.... One might say that the concept denotes epistemic humility, or epistemic accuracy, or one could treat both knowledge and wisdom as equivalent, or one might necessitate the additional condition of action, thereby making “wisdom” equal to knowledge plus action (Ryan)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Major Philosophical Issues

Consequences of an action should be important criteria for the people.... Popularised as act utilitarian theory, the actions, that are designed to benefit or have beneficial cascading effects on others, are morally and ethically right.... Ethics, on the other hand are value based conduct that are needed to lead a worthy life which serves the benefit of the people at large.... That is the reason that… coming from different culture may hold different ideologies and views regarding issues and their actions are good or bad would depend on the moral norms of their society's culture....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Personal Thoughts on Plato: His Writing and Influence

Reading a philosopher's life, as well as his writings often lead to a misconception---that it will ultimately be boring, but Plato, as a great writer that he truly is, proved that wrong.... This paper "Personal Thoughts on Plato: His Writing and Influence" discusses Plato as a firm believer in injustice and inequality....
17 Pages (4250 words) Essay

Political Philosophy Analysis

The civil right of marriage ensures that there is continuity in the lives of the citizens: new members of the community are born to take over from the old members of the community.... Besides, civil right enables the citizens to socialize fully and be able to develop the required form of behavior.... n ethical freedom, society is guaranteed measures that are aimed at regulating and showing them what is right and wrong....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Death Penalty, Kantian Ethics, and Utilitarianism

The best action, according to this philosophy, is the one that maximizes the overall happiness.... The repercussions and reverberations of a single action can span decades or even centuries.... The simple and straightforward truth of the matter is that most of these so-called human right activists belong to either the neutral group or the group whose relatives or friends are facing such punishments.... If it is not, and I am sure you would agree that it is not, then the criminals who are guilty of murder have no right to ask for a humane punishment themselves....
9 Pages (2250 words) Assignment

A Vision of the Good Life

This paper "A Vision of the good life" provides the answers to such questions, as a social justice issue, luck egalitarianism theory, discrimination on the basis of sexual identity, political and ethical dimensions of existentialism, differences between Bentham and Mills versions of utilitarianism.... This school of thought holds that the outcome of action has a greater value than the action.... On the contrary, the deontology school of thought holds that action is dependent on the scriptures, which entail moral laws, rules, and intuition (Goodin, 1995)....
9 Pages (2250 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us