THE HUMAN PERSONS ARE ORIENTED TOWARD THEIR IMPENDING DEATH

The Meaning of Life- Who am I really?

Socrates- in Clouds is the head of the school

“ Knowing oneself is a condition to solve the present problem”

-research & teaching (work of the school)

-2 different ways of teaching:
a. Expository method- answers the students direct or implied
question( fills the void ignorance w/ info)
 b. Socratic Method (tutorial) – to assess by question & to set
him problems (reduce, criticize the solutions)

Ironic process – serves the learner to seek knowledge by ridding (removal) the mind
of prejudice (narrow mindedness) and them by humbly accepting his ignorance.

Maieutic process – employed after the first process has clear the mind of the
learner and draws truth out of the learners mind. These can be done by means of
dialog or conversation.

Happiness

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more but in the developing the
capacity to enjoy less”.-Socrates

To be happy, has to live a virtues life. Virtues cannot be taught but mere an awakening
of the seeds of good needs that lay dormant in the mind and heart of a person. Knowing what is
the mind and heart of a person is achieve through self knowledge.
Virtuous life
Education
Mind/heart
Self knowledge

Knowledge does not mean only theoretical or speculative but a practical one.
Practical knowledge means one does not only know the rules of right living
but one lives them. Hence, for Socrates, true knowledge means wisdom which
in turn, means virtue.

Socrates major ethical claims-

1. Happiness is impossible without moral virtue
2. Unethical actions harm the person who performs them more than the people
they victimized. Unethical person is weak, even psychological unhealthy.

Plato –Contemplation
Is very important in life of humanity because this is

only available means for man to be free of his space

confinement- truth Doing good in life

“We become what we contemplate (think)”

Body- Is the source of endless trouble to us by reason of requirement of food and its liable also to
diseases which overtake and impede (hold back) us in search after true being. It fills us full of love, lust
and fears and fancies of all kinds and endless foolishness.

- Causes us turmoil & confusion of inquiries.

- To see the TRUTH we must quit the body

Knowledge can be attained after death for it while in the company of the body, the soul
cannot have pure knowledge.

Aristotle- Realizing your potential

Everything in nature seeks to realize itself- to develop of its potentialities and

finally realize its actualities. All things strived toward their end. A child strive to be
adult. Seeds strive to be tree.

Potentially to be changing called “entelechy”, Greek word, “to become its

essence”. It means nothing happen by chance.

He divided the natural world in two main categories: nonliving things or living
things.

Nonliving things such as rock, water, earth have no potentially for change.They
can change only by external influence.
Living things do have the potentiality for change.

Unmoved mover (God)- pure actuality without any potentiality.

According to Aristotle, the most pleasant activity for any living creature is
realizing its nature, therefore the happiest life for humans is thinking about
Unmoved Mover.- perfection.

Finding your Purpose (Activity but individual)

A. Know thyself

Negative Side Affirmative Side

(hidden self or public self

The unknown side The side others known about you but you are
not aware of your self

What u
want to
achieve
?
The Meaning of Life

Friedrich Nietzsche
First book, The “Birth of Tragedy” Athenian Tragedy.

Tragedy- an inevitability human suffering.

Our true existence is not our individual life but our participation in the drama of life and
history.

The free human being still has to draw a sharp conflict between the higher self and the
lower self, between the ideal aspired to the contemptibly (shameful)imperfect present.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at
any time”