Philosophical Thinking
It is important to note that philosophy is a discipline that systematically applies reason to deepen the overall understanding of existence, reality, and the nature of knowledge as well as wisdom through a thorough examination. The question about knowledge is strongly associated with a branch of philosophy called epistemology. The latter focuses on defending and analyzing the key concepts of knowledge, including the core methodological frameworks utilized to attain it. When it comes to understanding reality itself, the most relevant branch of philosophy is metaphysics. It seeks to describe the nature of reality by addressing the underlying matters beyond science’s capabilities, but the principles are grounded in reason and logic. Lastly, the ideas about the good life and proper way of living stem from the branch of philosophy called ethics. It assesses and thoroughly defends the critical concepts of value by determining what is wrong and right.
In the case of the question of knowledge, Socrates offered solid methodologies to uncover what is true. It should be noted that dialectic was a cornerstone of the pursuit of knowledge through wisdom, which is focused on a mutually respectful discourse between several people of opposing views to attain the truth (The Socratic Approach, n.d.). However, when it comes to delivering the known truth to people, who do not know, such as students, Socrates used the Socratic Method. The latter focused on asking questions about known matters and pushing the boundaries of knowledge to attain new ones (The Socratic Approach, n.d.).
Arguments played a central role in the process of structuring and obtaining the truth since they were vigorously evaluated and assessed in regard to their validity. Even during his last trial and sentencing to death, Socrates adhered to his reasoning by proving why death should not be feared. He claimed that death is either something or nothing; in the former case, one can communicate with the dead, and in the latter case, it is dreamless sleep. Therefore, both cases present no valid reason to fear death, which makes it irrational for him to be fearful of his sentencing (The Apology: A Defense of Philosophy, n.d.).
In the case of the question about reality, Plato offered insightful knowledge and a framework to understand the nature of reality. The philosopher’s core claim about metaphysics is rooted in the concept of flux or change. His argument is that the world is constantly changing, which makes knowledge impossible, but since knowledge is possible, then there are some essences outside the world in the metaphysical one (Plato Forms: The Foundations of Being, n.d.). Reality is grounded on forms, which are entities such as paradigms and ideals (Plato Forms: The Foundations of Being, n.d.).
In the case of the question of epistemology, Aristotle offered virtue ethics to distinguish what is wrong from what is right. It is important to note that virtue ethics focuses on character or actor rather than the action itself. He claimed that when a person needs to act, he or she will act in accordance with his or her character (Aristotle’s Highest Good, n.d.). Virtue is located between two extremes, and vice is either deficiency or excess.
Reflection on Virtue Ethics
Thinking philosophically means thinking structurally with awareness of the premises and arguments being made to come to a certain conclusion. Such an approach can help me immensely by making me more resilient to groupthink, biases, and logical fallacies. It deepens my understanding of what is true, what is right, and what is real.
The impact of the ideas of the Ancient Greek philosophers on my opinions and views is significant. For instance, virtue ethics taught me that ethics is not binomial in terms of one side being wrong and the other side is right. The given framework tells that goodness is in between two extremes, which is balance. The notion holds true in regard to almost everything, such as eating, exercising, sleeping, using social media, working, and many more. In addition, the Socratic Method allowed me to converse with myself by asking questions about what I know and expanding my knowledge further. For example, I was able to observe how I subconsciously justify my procrastination, but asking simple questions can reveal the invalidity of the underlying arguments.
Aristotle’s virtue ethics holds true even today, if not more relevant. The modern world reached new extremes of excess and depravity, where our capability to go to either extreme is unparalleled. A person can have millions of friends through social media, the wealthy have a net worth in billions, certain political leaders can influence the world, one can eat whatever and however he or she wants, people of the planet are suffering from extreme obesity and hunger, the higher level of comfort is achieved, the pollution impacting the planet, and these are only a few examples of extremes of the modernity. For example, Aristotle developed the doctrine of the mean, where he provided the example of courage. Too much courage leads to foolishness since there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and the lack of courage results in cowardice (Aristotle’s Highest Good, n.d.).