How Should One Live - 914 Words

How should one live? This question has troubled philosophers for millennia, with many attempts to definitively answer this. This essay sets out to explore two of these perspectives; Aristotelian virtue ethics and Kantian duty ethics. Moral philosophy is to depict the absolute ideal (Sullivan, 1980), Aristotelian virtue ethics argues that a virtuous eudemonic life constitutes a moral one. Kant differs; morality is rational and the categorical imperative it to be abided by to live as such. Aristotle is the main proponent in the field of virtue ethics, culminating in the seminal work on the Subject; Nicomachean Ethics (NE). NE recognises a life well lived is a virtuous one, Eudemonia be-came the ultimate goal. Eudemonia is the culmination of an entire life lived well, in the pursuit of virtue and excellence (Taylor, 1955). Aristotle viewed ethics as a practical pursuit, the ends to the means is to achieve Eudemonia and not to possess the knowledge without action. As stated in NE; we are inquiring not in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good, since otherwise our inquiry would have been of no use (Aristotle, 1996, p34, 1103b8-1104a4 Book Two, ii). Thus morality is a state produced by habitation; by doing â€Å"right† acts we then acquire the right moral character, are not born in a state of good moral character (Taylor, 1955). Virtues are attained by exercising them; virtues we get by first exercising them†¦For the things we have to learn before we can do them,Show MoreRelatedLiving Like Weasles1281 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"That is, I don’t think I can learn from a wild animal how to live in particular—shall I suck warm blood, hold my tail high, walk with my footprints precisely over the prints of my hands?—but I might learn something of mindlessne ss, something of the purity of living in the physical senses and the dignity of living without bias or motive.† In â€Å"Living Like Weasels†, the author Annie Dillard, encounters a weasel. Typically, in the animal kingdom a weasel is viewed as an unremarkable, and even disgustingRead MoreAnalysis Of Annie Dillard s The Wild Weasel 1613 Words   |  7 PagesAnnie Dillard states that the ultimate way one should strive to act is like a â€Å"wild† weasel. Dillard emphasizes in order to achieve our final goal, through our actions we should act â€Å"mindlessly.† Ironically she promotes the characteristic of â€Å"mindlessness,† while our main function is to use logic to justify our acts. However, Dillard suggests that we should live by using our instincts rather than our intellect to avoid prejudice. She claims that we should thoughtlessly go about our life avoiding choicesRead MoreEssay about Walden: How Thoreau Thought Life Should Be Lived635 Words   |  3 Pageswhere he is, and the philosophy on why he is there. He also describes how he feels about the people i n the society and how he will be narrating the novel. In the first few paragraphs he explains how society judges him about his actions on moving out onto the pond. Thoreau makes clear that this is not a permanent lifestyle, but an experiment on life as a whole. Henry David Thoreau explains that people feel like they have to live up to a hidden standard, and that people feel they must own certain thingsRead MoreShould I Be Afraid Of Death?1126 Words   |  5 PagesThe Philosophical Question at issue: Should I be afraid of death? Authors Thesis: During his passage, Epicurus tells us we have nothing to look forward to at death because when we die, there is nothing more. Authors Argument: Epicurus says that people need to start believing that death is nothing. He believes that death is the â€Å"privation of all awareness† (Epicurus, pg 103), the complete opposite of the meaning of good and evil, which is having awareness. Epicurus tells us that we must focus onRead MoreMoral Relativism in the Dark Knight746 Words   |  3 Pageseveryone he meets, he does not view his actions as wrong. In fact, he does not even believe in an absolute right. He believes that everyone else is crazy for thinking that there is a right and wrong that all people should follow, and he believes that he is the sane one. He thinks that he is one step ahead of everyone in the world because he does not play by the universe’s rules; he creates his own. He does not believe that people have the right to judge him since they do not stay true their morals. HeRead MoreAn Important Ethical Issue Represented Throughout The New Testament1381 Words   |  6 Pages An impor tant ethical issue represented throughout the New Testament that can sometimes be overlooked is the unity that Jesus and God should bring to any diverse community. There has been to debate as to the resurrection of Jesus and how the people should live their lives prior to his return. In 1 Corinthians and 1 Peter, the passages show different perspectives of Paul and Peter who are trying to bring to commonality of Jesus into prospective. People have made decisions based on their beliefs toRead MoreThe Importance Of Human Rights1390 Words   |  6 Pagesarms or the should that right be amended. Should a terrorist of the right for due process or should their right be taken from them the minute they decided to commit a terrorist act? These are some of the issues that were discussed in Articles written by Michael Pollen in an â€Å"Animal’s Place†. An article on, rather animals, should have constitutional rights. Molly Ivins article â€Å"Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get R id of Guns†. Is an Article on rather or not our right to bear arms should still be relevantRead MoreBiblical Worldview And The Christian Worldview1295 Words   |  6 Pagescalls his children to live their life accordingly. That is why Paul’s letter to the Roman church is such as significant demonstration of the Gospel and the Christian Worldview and we as Christian must be able to defend our worldview and apply it to our lives. The Romans teach about the existence and attributes of God by demonstrating that one attribute cannot exist without the other. Romans 1:17 claims God’s righteous is his holiness and it his expression against sin and shows how interminably pureRead MoreMortal Questions By Thomas Nagel1126 Words   |  5 PagesMost people who view their lives in the objective perspective support the view that life is absurd. In his book, Mortal Questions, Thomas Nagel concentrates on this popular belief and attempts to debunk the claims for the absurdity of human existence. In this paper, I will address one of the arguments that Nagel possess against these points. In addition, I will also explain Nagel’s purpose, his beliefs on the subjective and objective points of view, and how that affects individuals when they areRead MoreEssay on Joan Didion670 Words   |  3 Pagesdifferent examples to back it up. She goes to Deadeye’s place and sees that there are several people living with him. She talks about how they are all lazy because, as grown-ups, they do not know how to take care of themselves nor the hou se. Looking around the room, Didion sees â€Å"a girl on the floor †¦ has been sleeping for twenty-four hours†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"the friend†¦ who extends one arm but does not get up because he is naked†, and â€Å"couple of girls in pajamas making instant coffee† (87). It can be inferred that