Socrates vs. Ivan
The philosophies of Ivan Ilyich and Plato were different in the sense that they both valued different things. Ivan valued a life of propriety, or in other words, the “artificial” life, while Socrates spent his life seeking happiness through the pathway of wisdom and virtue. Although these philosophies are drastically different, it is the combination of them that gives my life meaning.
Ivan Ilyich lived a life filled with disingenuous relationships, self- interest, and “materialism.” Every decision that he made revolved around the attitude and opinions of his peers. Take his marriage for example; when considering whether or not to marry his wife, he chose to wed her, because “his social circle approved of the match...and …show more content…
The “examined life is devoted to the knowledge and improvement of the soul and virtue“, (Apology, 39 a-f). Socrates believed that in order live a happy and fulfilled life, we mustn’t live in search of approval from others, but live a life in constant search of wisdom and virtue. However, what exactly makes someone a “seeker of wisdom”, or deems them virtuous? According to Socrates there is no direct answer. Of course one must be true to himself, however, that alone does not answer this question. We must constantly be in search of that which is real. But even once that is figured out, we are left questioning what deemed something real? Was it something that we could see? Was it something that was tangible? Well, when Socrates’ said something was real, it meant that whatever one was doing was for the betterment of themself, and for a better understanding of the world around them. When someone is “real”, they do not value the opinion of others, but rather, they have a thirst to please their consciousness. In saying this, Socrates scolded the Athenians for living their lives in such a manner that did not meet these guidelines. By living a life that revolved around wealth, and reputation, he believed that they were ignoring the value and virtue of the soul, and he warned them to live this way, was to live …show more content…
Amidst this discussion, there was a constant recurrence of the “pursuit of meaning”. However, there was no clear definition of what that phrase meant. The “pursuit of meaning” can be both physical and conceptual, furthermore, it can be both tangible or intangible. It simply depends on the type of person you are, and what you value. To people like Ivan Ilyich, meaning is found through the physical pursuit of things like wealth or material goods, and through “conceptual pursuit” in things like reputation, and public approval. However, for philosophers like Socrates, meaning was found in one’s philosophical ability to constantly pursue virtue, and
The philosophies of Ivan Ilyich and Plato were different in the sense that they both valued different things. Ivan valued a life of propriety, or in other words, the “artificial” life, while Socrates spent his life seeking happiness through the pathway of wisdom and virtue. Although these philosophies are drastically different, it is the combination of them that gives my life meaning.
Ivan Ilyich lived a life filled with disingenuous relationships, self- interest, and “materialism.” Every decision that he made revolved around the attitude and opinions of his peers. Take his marriage for example; when considering whether or not to marry his wife, he chose to wed her, because “his social circle approved of the match...and …show more content…
The “examined life is devoted to the knowledge and improvement of the soul and virtue“, (Apology, 39 a-f). Socrates believed that in order live a happy and fulfilled life, we mustn’t live in search of approval from others, but live a life in constant search of wisdom and virtue. However, what exactly makes someone a “seeker of wisdom”, or deems them virtuous? According to Socrates there is no direct answer. Of course one must be true to himself, however, that alone does not answer this question. We must constantly be in search of that which is real. But even once that is figured out, we are left questioning what deemed something real? Was it something that we could see? Was it something that was tangible? Well, when Socrates’ said something was real, it meant that whatever one was doing was for the betterment of themself, and for a better understanding of the world around them. When someone is “real”, they do not value the opinion of others, but rather, they have a thirst to please their consciousness. In saying this, Socrates scolded the Athenians for living their lives in such a manner that did not meet these guidelines. By living a life that revolved around wealth, and reputation, he believed that they were ignoring the value and virtue of the soul, and he warned them to live this way, was to live …show more content…
Amidst this discussion, there was a constant recurrence of the “pursuit of meaning”. However, there was no clear definition of what that phrase meant. The “pursuit of meaning” can be both physical and conceptual, furthermore, it can be both tangible or intangible. It simply depends on the type of person you are, and what you value. To people like Ivan Ilyich, meaning is found through the physical pursuit of things like wealth or material goods, and through “conceptual pursuit” in things like reputation, and public approval. However, for philosophers like Socrates, meaning was found in one’s philosophical ability to constantly pursue virtue, and