Form and Meaning of Happiness in Plato - 2749 Words

An Analysis of the Form and Meaning of Happiness in Plato’s Republic I. Introduction One of the central claims of Plato’s Republic is that justice is not only desirable for its own sake, but that it maximises the happiness of those who practice it. This paper examines Plato’s arguments in support of this thesis to determine (a) what he means by happiness, (b) to what extent it exists in his proposed ideal state, and (c) whether this in any way substantiates his claims about the benefits of justice. In particular, I will argue that there are two different conceptions of happiness at play in The Republic, and two methods of achieving its highest form, namely the pursuit of justice and philosophy, before arriving at a final definition of†¦show more content†¦However, although this provides us with a way of categorising pleasure, it does not bring us any closer to a theory of happiness, as there is no suggestion that it too has three different forms. From this I conclude that Plato considers the notion of pleasure to be insufficient as an explanati on of happiness, and that these instead represent two different, but interrelated, concepts. III. Happiness and Justice In order to fully appreciate what Plato means by eudaimonia, we must instead consider the ways in which it is supposedly achieved: namely, through the twin pursuits of justice and philosophy. The first argument for this thesis is found at the end of Book 1 (352d–354a) where Socrates states that everything has both a characteristic function and a virtue (or excellence) that enables it to perform its function well. He goes on to say that living is the function of the soul, and justice its characteristic excellence, from which it follows that the just man lives well and is therefore happy. This is a classic piece of Socratic wordplay that relies upon a disputed, question-begging premise (justice being the virtue of the soul), two unsubstantiated assumptions (that the soul has both a function and an excellence) and equivocation (‘to live well’ is the same as ‘to be happy’), all of which renders itShow MoreRelatedEssay about Aristotle and Platos Views on R eality980 Words   |  4 PagesAristotle and Plato were both great thinkers but their views on realty were different. Plato viewed realty as taking place in the mind but Aristotle viewed realty is tangible. Even though Aristotle termed reality as concrete, he stated that reality does not make sense or exist until the mind process it. Therefore truth is dependent upon a person’s mind and external factors. According to Aristotle, things are seen as taking course and will eventually come to a stop when potential is reachedRead MoreWilliam Miller s The Of The Soul 940 Words   |  4 Pagesworld, so that pure justness as well as its opposite can be sought in a complete form. Cooper’s ideas concerning this desire seem to fit a model Plato would readily accept as this interpretation of wholeness is fleshed out in greater detail certainly seem Platonic especially as this idea of wholeness is presented in a speech in the Symposium, and it is of intrigue as to why it never became a part of the soul Plato set out to define. Perhaps it was too much for him to interfere with the parallelRead MoreThe Individual and the Community963 Words   |  4 Pagesan individual under a ruler and how a good citizen should be characterized. 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The whole meaning of lifeRead MorePlato And The Matrix Essay1463 Words   |  6 PagesIn â€Å"The Matrix† and Plato’s Phaedo and Republic questions of what makes up a whole and fulfilling life are answered. Both The Matrix and Plato provide alternate forms of reality, one that is based on truth and is fulfilling and one that is based on a false reality that offers false forms of fulfillment. The Matrix and Plato show the difference of living a life in a true reality and a â€Å"fake† reality where everything inside this reality is fake making the lives inside this reality fake. True educationRead MoreEssay On Socrates On Happiness1594 Words   |  7 PagesThe pursuit of happiness is a timeless and ageless endeavor. Since the beginning of time people have searched far and wide for the source of happiness. Even the greatest minds attempt to discover the basis of all human conten tment. The father of philosophy, Socrates, was one of those few that might have unearthed the key to human happiness. His understanding shaped the way that the western world sees pleasure, joy, and happiness. His views on how to obtain them are still alive today. Socrates livedRead MoreSocrates s Quest Of Truth1337 Words   |  6 PagesBorn in Athens in 437 B.C, Greek philosopher Plato is one of the most powerful thinkers in history. Coming from Greek aristocracy, Plato had political ambitions as a young man and appeared to follow the family tradition. However, Socrates and his dialectical method of inquiry, which was to question and answer everything to show ignorance, soon captivated Plato. Socrates spent most of his time in the streets and marketplace of Athens, approaching people like the sophist and other powerful leadersRead MoreGreek Philosophies Impact On The Early Development Of Christian Thought1348 Words   |  6 Pagesheaven. For Greek thinkers like Aristotle or even Plato, human actions derived from reason, rationality, and intellect. Christian thinkers like Augustine saw philosophical reflection as a complement to theology. Those philosophical reflections were based off of the underlying intellectual commitment of the Christian Faith. The thoughts of both Augustine and Thomas Aquinas are but a simulation of the thoughts of the Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. Augustine’s perspective is towardsRead MoreAristotle: The Pursuit of Happiness1358 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle and Plato both are both well known for their focus on defining the purpose of being human. To them, humans have a particular characteristic that no other living thing possesses. That characteristic is that humans strive to achieve a level of goodness. Although they agree with each other that there is a highest good one must achieve in order to live a fulfilling life, they have different ideas on what that good is. On Aristotle’s search to find the highest good of a human being, he firstRead MoreTrue Knowledge Is Blinded By Ignorance1658 Words   |  7 Pagesappearance. Both money and physical appearance, are mistaken for true happiness, and serve as examples of how human ignorance clouds our ability to truly know what really makes one happy. These mistaken or ignorant beliefs, often prevent us from understanding the true values of life. They take us down a wrong path that is unfulfilling and misinformed. Due to people’s ignorance, they are not able to see the true and complete meaning of life, as a result no human will ever poses true knowledge, and human

Portrayal of Light and Darkness in James Joyce’s “Araby”

Portrayal of Light and Darkness in James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† In James’ story â€Å"Araby† the narrator creates an image in the reader’s mind of a dark and dull world where he spends his days playing and becoming infatuated with a friend’s sister. He portrays to us a dull background in order to shows us the â€Å"light† in his world of darkness. As the narrator starts his story off he paints a world that is dark by using such words as: blind, uninhabited, and detached. These words give the reader a sense of darkness and solidarity in the story. It seems that the main character in the story sees darkness and disappointment all around him, aside from when he sees the girl he is infatuated with, at these times he sees her as light in his world of†¦show more content†¦In his communications with Mangan’s sister he did not know what to say and seeing how the men at the bazaar were talking with the woman merchant so easily he felt even more angry at his-self for thinking he was really going to win over Mangan’s sister with just a present. He is once again in a darkness showing that the narrator is ashamed and angered. The narrator ends the story just as he started, in darkness. How light and darkness is portrayed in this story of a young boy, who believes he is in love with a girl, is meant to help us see that the boy is blindly naà ¯ve by his emotions. How he sees his house and the neighborhood, always in dark settings, is an example of this. Dark settings in this story help the reader through the story and give you a sense that this story is not going to have a happy ending. The only time he mentions and describes light is when he sees Mangan’s sister. These contrasting portrayals within the story are meant to help show how disillusioned and naà ¯ve the boy really is when it comes to matters of theShow MoreRelatedModernism - Araby and the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay1382 Words   |  6 PagesThis allowed an altered view of the world as fract ured and chaotic, especially due to paralysis and alienation in modern society. This newly perceived reality is reflected through techniques of fragmentation in modernist works such as James Joyce’s short story â€Å"Araby† and T.S. Eliot’s poem â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fundamental and far-reaching changes in society often made individuals feel wary and estranged from their surrounding world. These changesRead MoreEssay on James Joyces Araby3507 Words   |  15 PagesJames Joyces Araby I doubt there are book logs that commence with a note directing a reader, specifically you, even though I get the impression from Mr. Little to whom riding between pairs of glasses suggesting that in order to gather a bounty against my beloved head I must be obliged to fathoming on how to receive topic sentences with cradling arms and craters of dimples (have to love formalities, even of those lolling head-stumps, after all, it keeps NATO all trite

Dangers of Drugs Free Essays

There are many persuasive arguments you can give to convince middle school students not start using drugs. One argument is the pain you would put your family through. Not only is it dangerous to using the drugs, it is also very dangerous to be around the people that sell the drugs. We will write a custom essay sample on Dangers of Drugs or any similar topic only for you Order Now One of the best arguments I could give it the very harmful affects that the drug does to your body. There are endless arguments that you could give to students not to buy and use drugs but I believe those are the best arguments. Using drugs are very dangerous to not only you but your family too. When people start using drugs, they do not think about the pain and suffrage that your family will have to go through. Your family will have to go through the challenge of overcoming your addiction with you, which will put a strain on your relationship with them. It would be very hard for your mother or father to see you using a dangerous drug. Not only will it affect you but it will affect the people that you love most. When somebody said â€Å"drugs† they only think about using them. They do not think about the extremely dangerous people that you have to be around to get the drugs. These types of people are not nice, and could hurt you. These people have probably committed crimes and have been in prison. There is so much more to the word â€Å"drug† than people think about, such as the people you have to be associated with. The first time that you use a drug nobody thinks that they will be addicted to it. When addiction takes place you have to use the drug everyday, even multiple times a day. After using the drug for so long is does major damage to your lunges, mouth, skin, liver, kidneys, and even your facial features. These are major parts of the body and most are replicable. Using drugs after awhile will eventually kill you. After learning that all those things that take into account when using drugs- would you ever try them? After hearing three great arguments on why not to use drugs, I believe those three are the best. Using drugs not only affects you but also your loved ones too. Being around those types of people are potentially dangerous. Last but not least, the dangerous affects that the drugs could do to your body. No one deserves a life of addiction; so I hope that you have learned something and will never touch a dangerous drug. How to cite Dangers of Drugs, Papers

Sirens Research Paper free essay sample

Sirens are able to do many things, but â€Å"an individual siren cannot always overpower and enchant you, but a group of sirens can, this is why sirens always travel in groups (Ponzi) Sirens became what they are when Demeter punished them by a promise that was broken to him (Ponzi). The physical attributes of sirens are very controversial since there are said to be in 2 ways physically. Most websites portray it to be a half bird, half human creature that is beautiful and majestic creatures (Sirens, Allusions Sea Nymphs). The next way might as well be the complete opposite, it is also described in many books and it some websites to be a, stunningly beautiful mermaid like creature that roams the waters. (Sirens, Allusions Sea Nymphs). â€Å"Sirens are said to be considered deities or goddesses at one point of time, but lost their role over time† (Sirens, Allusions Sea Nymphs). â€Å"The power that all sirens poses is to be able to enchant their voice whenever a sailor passes and controls them by their singing. We will write a custom essay sample on Sirens Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sirens would also play music with instruments to lure sailor’s as well, one would play the harp, the other lyre and the last would sing the enchanting song† (Sirens, Allusions Sea Nymphs). Some of the most familiarized sirens where Peisinoes, Agalope and Thelxiepia. Peisnoes’ name means Mind Persuader, Agalope was a regular siren, while Thelxiepia was the first siren created (Sirens, Allusions Sea Nymphs). â€Å"There’s stories that tell us that sirens live on the island or Faikes which is off the coast of Italy† (Sirens, Allusions Sea Nymphs). The island of Faikes is not really an island just an oceanic mountain of Piled up bones and skulls of the sailor victims that passed by (Sirens, Allusions Sea Nymphs). There are 4 types of sirens, which includes Domestic, Carnivorous, Flightless and migratory. Domestic sirens are sirens that are all work but no play, they like to stay on task and to stay serious, never fool around (Ponzi). Carnivorous sirens are sirens that believe that all men are evil and use it to justify their killings of sailors. Ponzi) Meanwhile Flightless sirens can predict the holes in others happiness, meaning that they can see what makes you happy and unhappy. (Ponzi) The last but fairly not least is the Migratory siren, Migratory sirens are very playful sirens that always is looking to â€Å"end† people, in other words take their life (Ponzi). Regardless of the siren type, all sirens can â€Å"sleep† with a human, there for impregnating them before their fate (Ponzi). â€Å"The way do are ab le to do this is charming sailors, although sirens are very powerful creatures they do have restrictions. These restrictions include only to roam the oceans, and out skirts of beaches but never further† (Atsma). It is said that sirens die whenever a ship goes past them unharmed (Ponzi). Yet â€Å"two tales are told of people being able to survive the siren’s singing and music. One being Odysseus with all his men in the Odyssey and another was a story named Jason and The Argonauts† (Ponzi). The encounter that the sailors faced with the sirens in the book Jason and The Argonauts was that an intelligent musician that was very talented named Orpheus bravely played an undulating song loud and beautifully. So beautiful that it drowned and overpowered the sounds of the sirens instruments and singing (Ponzi). The next story that involved encounters with sirens is Homer’s Odyssey, the Odyssey states how â€Å"Odysseus ordered his men to fill their ears with wax to retain and block the noise and songs the sirens will play. Odysseus also ordered his men to time him up on to the ships sail† (Ponzi). It is also said in the story that â€Å"Odysseus passed by the island of Faikes Unharmed and all the sirens died from them passing safely, they flung themselves in the sea depths and perished. (Atsma). Atsma, Aaron. â€Å"Sirens†. Sirens: Bird-Women Monsters. 2000-2011. Theoi Project. 29, January 2013. `http://www. theoi. com/Pontios/Seirenes. html Ponzi, John. â€Å"The Siren Call†. Sirens: The Siren Call, Sustainable Thoughts. 30 November 2010. New York Times magazine. 31, January 2013. http://sustainablethoughts. org/2010/12/02/the-siren-call/50/ â€Å"Sirens, All usions Sea Nymphs†. Sirens in Greek Mythology. Archeological museum of Athens Greece. 31, January 2013. http://www. greek-gods. info/ancient-greek-gods/sirens/