Eudaimonia

One of the ideals of ancient Greece is the concept of flourishing, or eudaimonia, which can be understood in simple terms as thriving as a human being. Flourishing is ongoing, not fleeting; the happiness must be achieved over a long period of time. Socrates believed that the most important step to reaching happiness and flourishing…

of it. According to Hursthouse’s claims: “The right thing to do is what a virtuous agent would do in the circumstances. A virtuous person is one who had and exercises the virtues. A virtue is a character trait that a person needs in order to have eudaimonia, in order to live a good life.” (Jacobus 409) In Hursthouse’s book, “On Virtue Ethics”, he discusses the three point of views of a utilitarian, deontologist and a virtue ethicist would say about doing the obvious right thing to do. “ A…

Stoicism first originated as an ancient Greek Philosophy founded by Zeno of modern day Cyprus in 300 BCE originally influenced by Socrates and the Cynics. [5] The philosophy began to flourish in the period of the Roman Empire influencing many people including early Christians. Whether the citizens of the Roman Empire were aware of it or not, the morals within it were prominently centered around stoicism. [1] Although the Stoic following consisted mostly of upper-class citizens, lower-class…

In Ancient Mesopotamia, the concept of law was governed by what is known as the Law Code of Hammurabi. This code was established by Hammurabi of Babylon, after taking control of most of Mesopotamia circa 1792-1750 BCE. This law can best be described by its main principle of “Lex Talionis”, a legal principle of having the punishment fit the crime. It was believed that prior to its introduction, Babylon suffered from disorder and chaos. Its people were governed by little more than their rulers…

child’s genome, they would do it because of the love for their child and they would do it for the child’s sake. They would intend for whichever traits they select to improve their child’s life by helping them to flourish in an attempt to achieve Eudaimonia. Virtuous parents are aware that both genetic manipulation and environmental intervention can shape a child’s life, and both are strategies that they can use to provide their child with the opportunities necessary so that the child might…

deep, meant to better each other and it is the act of love for love’s sake. There is nothing and everything to be gained from these relationships all at once. God commands us to love your neighbor as you love yourself. This is the central idea of Eudaimonia. L’Arch challenges the notion that the disabled and abled cannot be…

Discourse Arguments will now be presented that philosophically justify the act of terrorism in the right instance. I am going to start by applying the Just War Principles to both case studies. Beginning with the Nelson Mandela case study, it is unclear as to whether the ANC is a legitimate authority to execute acts of violence towards a governing body. It could be argued that the ANC was a legitimate authority since in the end the party was unbanned and then elected into government in 1994…

Socrates commences by making a serious request to the jury to listen to him. He also asks them to forgive him if he begins to talk in the way he usually does. The people accusing him have already spoken out against him. They warn the jury of his persuasive way of speaking and how he might seem convincing as he is professing his innocence. Socrates states he does not speak eloquently. He says he will speak so that everyone to understand why he believes he is innocent. He even believes the…

Influential philosophers of ethics Socrates, a Greek philosopher, was known for being the famous teacher of Plato who later taught Aristotle. He was born in 469/470 BCE and led a fairly normal childhood like those of his peers. In his later life, Socrates studied art, became a famous sculptor and even served in the army. His teachings were ultimately passed down, becoming the basis for ethics (Mark, 2009). He taught and believed that people instinctively did the right thing for the common…

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road presents the author’s depiction of what he deems a potential picture of post apocalyptic America, a society unregulated by governmental laws. The hypothetical situation presented, one dominated by murder and cannibalism, indicates McCarthy’s potential view that, without the constraints of society, we would descend into egocentric savagery, suggesting that we need guidance and government in order to maintain peace. For me, this idea that without regulation we would all…