How to Pursuit Life

How to Pursuit Life

"Philosophical thought attributes importance to an intermediary or mediating spirit when it comes to transcending ordinary human consciousness. Socrates refers to his daimonion when he testifies in the Apology. Aristotle incorporates a similar guide to his idea of eudaimonia/the good life. Finally, the stoics, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius both speak of a ruling principle or hegemonikon as responsible for guidance in the soul."

The "Apology" contain three speeches: defense, penalty, and after the trial. The second speech of Apology deals with Socrates penalty, Socrates respond to the given penalty by proposing an alternative one, and the jury had to choose between the two. The penalty that was suggested by Meletus was the death penalty. Socrates suggested that he, with the help of his wealthy friends, would pay a fine. He will also be treated as an Olympic hero. From Socrates suggestions we understand that he is actually mucking the jury by suggesting ideas that obviously won't be accepted.

One of the most important terms in the Apology is the term "Excellence". This term is an alternative term for the Greek term "Arete". Arete means the Aim, target the path of life. What you are supposed to do. By "pursuit of excellence" Socrates means that a parson should look for his place in society and in life. Finding his/her excellence will bring him/her health, wealth and happiness. Pursuing wealth and happiness thinking that those will lead one to his/her excellence is wrong. Socrates gives an example of people that are in pursuit of wisdom. He says that in his investigation he found that the people, who looked for knowledge as a main target, (as if it has an intrinsic value), were less intelligent then the common people. "Man whose reputation for wisdom stood highest were nearly the most lacking in it, while others who were looked down on as common people were much more intelligent."Socrates, target in life was to question peoples' way of life in order to help them improving themselves and strive to find their excellence. "For I spend my whole lifeÐ'...to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth. And I tell you that wealth dose not bring excellence, but that wealth, and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in privet, comes from excellence."

"For I spend my whole lifeÐ'...to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth. And I tell you that wealth dose not bring excellence, but that wealth, and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in privet, comes from excellence." Here Socrates saying that a man should find his place or the one thing that he is good at, to get to excellence, and that will bring him wealth health and happiness. I think that in our days it is true in some cases but not in others. In a world where you can buy almost everything, even happiness, the majority looks for the place that will give them the wealth, and happiness will come along, wail people that are pursuing excellence are miserable.

Stoicism was a group of philosophers in the First Century who made laws that they thought should be followed by the citizens of Rome. Two of these laws were the concepts of rationality and nature. Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of Rome at the time and he also the most known Stoic. His concepts were vital to the survival of the Stoics.

The concept of rationality is what tells a human being what's right and wrong and what should be done and what is good for the human and the state by thinking. "the reason also, in respect which we are rational beings, is common: if this is so, common also is the reason which commands us what to do, and what not to do; if this is so, there is a common law also; if this is so, we are fellow citizens; if this is so, we are members of some political community; if this is so, the world is in manner of a state." Marcus Aurelius says here that the citizens who are ration beings as a part of the whole political spectrum, should combine to make he world one state. He wants the world to join as one state and governed by one, the people are all part of the same political system, so they should join together.

In his Meditations Aurelius talks about every action having a purpose. "Let no act be done without a purpose, nor otherwise than according to the perfect principles of art." He says here that the reason we have is because everything we do has a purpose. The purposes are there because they are the unwritten rules of art. These rules are abided because they just happen. The art sets its own rules through the purposes of the acts that are done. No act should be done if it does not follow the rules of art. Yet, the rules of are made by the act's purposes. This meaning everything has a reason why it is done and the purposes are legitimate.

A man's life does not become worse unless he makes it worse. "That which does not make his life worse, nor does it harm him either from without or with in." In this quote, Aurileus tells the Stoics that the things that don't harm him won't make his life worse inside or outside including the soul. This meaning that a person should do what they feel is right, because it will not hurt them physically or mentally. Aurileus says that this is good for a person, it builds character and makes them strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. This rationality influenced the Stoics greatly. They were people who did what they wanted, when they wanted. They also did what they believed was moral. Aurileus' works inspired the Stoic community, his meditations is where a lot of the ideas of Stoicism took place. Stoicism picked up more followers, because the rational and reasonable writings and teachings of people like Aurileus.

Aurileus also comments on the concept of nature. This (nature) is what a person lives in, his or her surroundings and environment. It can also be the person himself. It is how a person lives, how they adapt to society. Nature is the society; it's the world in which the person lives in. "That which rules within, when it is according to nature, is so effected with respect to the events which happen, that is always easily adapts itself to that which is possible and is presented to it. For it requires no definite material, but it moves towards its