Rules of Life

Rules of Life

Introduction

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life”. The words of Aristotle spell out my reasons to want my children to be raised under the influence of Plato and Aristotle. Plato looks into the art of knowing what is good and being able to distinguish it from what is wrong. Aristotle, on the other hand, evaluates the reality of the world and how best people can navigate through it using logical reasoning and the mind. Ideally, raising children is something that people do not take for granted. this is because the way the child turns out is reflective of the parents and the environment in which the child was raised.  Having gone through the course and reading about the most significant philosophers the world has ever seen, I came to love some of the arguments that Plato and Aristotle make regarding life. I am positive they can be impactful when raising my children in the future. In this paper, I will be highlighting the reasons why I find it best to raise my children under the influence of Aristotle and, at the same time, point out some reasons why I would not like my children to be raised under the light of Socrates and Augustine.

Positive Contribution from Philosophers

Given that the human being is given the freedom of free will, a parent must impart aspects of ethics to their children. Arguably, it is because of ethics and morality that society stands, and it is also the reason why peace continues to reign among societies. I would love for my children to grow up with the art of telling or finding the truth and equating the truth to something that they are researching. According to Melchert, “Whereas Plato seeks a science of ethics based on the Form of the Good, Aristotle sees ethics as more of an art than a science” (208). According to Aristotle, a person who is deemed to be ethical is one that has a good character, which is acceptable in society. This person also does the right thing in the proper manner and at the right place and time. Plato believes that happiness is the ultimate goal of the moral compass. In other words, the people who would love to be happy are required to employ morals in their lives and ensure that whatever they do is driven by the general good of the people. I would love to raise children who are endowed with ethical principles that guide them in every action they take, ensuring that the outcome must be for the general good. No parent would wish sadness to their children, and so, I am positive that these are the most appropriate philosophical thoughts that my children can learn.

Knowledge is a powerful tool, and this explains why most parents give their children the gift of education. The Knowledge they say is power. I would love my children to not only be knowledgeable but also have the ability to use their expertise to distinguish good from wrong and reason logically. Melchert explains that “Aristotle thinks of logic as a tool to be used in every intellectual endeavor, allowing the construction of valid “accounts” and the criticism of invalid ones” (150). Being knowledgeable can give a person the right amount of confidence that can be useful in the event of situation requiring expertise. Pluto on the other hand, explains that people should insist on the truth before they can believe. Arguably, Plato describes that people should be able to distinguish Knowledge from beliefs through the use of the fact. Melchert illustrates that “If we claim to know something but then learn it is false, we retract our claim. We can put this in the form of a principle: Knowledge involves truth” (150). People should strive to instill the art of finding and telling the truth in their children. Biblically, the authors explain that the fact always sets people free. The truth still has a source that can be used as a reference point. However, beliefs tend to be vague when trying to track down their cause, and they may have stemmed from a person’s creative mind.

Plato explains that wisdom is a general term that covers both forms of sound. The wise are believed to make better choices before taking any action, and they are also viewed as people who can be consulted in the community. Plato encourages that wisdom is mainly acquired through education. Life is like a riddle as it presents various choices from which a person has to choose. Life is also subject to different interpretations depending on multiple factors such as background, cultural implication, and Knowledge. I would love to raise my children to love wisdom and encourage them to learn from places and people. According to Melchert, “To love wisdom is to be motivated to leave the Cave. At each stage, Plato emphasizes how difficult, even painful, the struggle for enlightenment is” (165). Agreeably, many people dislike thinking, and they would prefer believing whatever is in front of their eye than peering into reality to see the wisdom of a phenomenon. Aristotle holds that for a person to be wise, he must do not only good deeds but also be useful. Ideally, wisdom, according to him, is the virtue of living, and it calls for more than smart ideas and Knowledge. I would love to cultivate a seed of goodness in my children so that they can find wisdom.

Negative Contribution from Philosophers.

I would love my children to grow up dwelling on the truth to guide them. This explains why I would not wish that they would be taught the doctrines of the Vedas and the Upanisads. These people have, for centuries, have formed their beliefs and doctrine based on the mythologies that were told in the centuries. Ideally, a parent must choose a specific religion that he or she wants the children to have faith in. How sure are the listeners and believers of these teachings that these mythological stories happened? For instance, the Vedas and Upanisade tell a story about a demon and a god becoming students of God, which teaches them about the self and the body. Melchert points out that “Virocana returns to the demons, announcing that the self is the body and that each person should care only for the body” (36). From this, it is evident that these stories do not give a growing child a strong foundation to base his or her faith. Later, however, God uses logic to understand that the body cannot be the true self since it is vulnerable to things like illnesses and death.  There is no higher self than the soul, and I would love it if my children would understand this.

Augustine believes that the earth is full of evil and believes that some of them are attracted to him. I would not like my children to be raised under the limelight of the teachings of Augustine. Arguably, evil exists in the world, but people try to take a different path that might direct towards the darkness. I would also love that my children embrace the ways and absorb the principles that build them, and make them shine brighter. Melchert argues that “Augustine drifted away from the Manicheism, but these notions of pride and guilt, and divided-self remained with him” (264). From the look of things, Augustine was not a role model since he gave in to the darkness of the world. Throughout his arguments, Augustine argues against the common beliefs that are held about God. For example, he doubts the existence of God. As if that is not enough, Augustine presents an argument that if God exists, then there is no way he could be everywhere at the same time. Arguably, Augustine is not someone that any parent may want the children to emulate. This is because he has the habit of planting doubts in the minds of individuals. There is a possibility that after hearing of the arguments this man gives, the curious minds will begin questioning the likelihood of Augustine’s claims being valid.

Additionally, unlike many other philosophers who have shown interest in incorporating wisdom, Knowledge, and happiness in their pursuit of understanding the world, Augustine only focuses on happiness. Melchert informs that “Augustine had little interest in natural philosophy and eventually turned away from it as Socrates had done, it could not make one happy” (267). On the search for happiness, all other aspects such as the general good, logic, and even doing good must be laid on the table. As such, when raising children, I will have to tell them about the importance of living according to the truth, finding wisdom and reasoning logically. As such, Augustine cannot be some of the philosophers I can quote as a reference when enlightening my children about these topics. I would also love to keep my children away from the teachings of the Vedas and the Upanisads.  Arguably, the Buddha teaches that suffering is a part of the world, and as such, people should accept their fate. I do not believe in pain since, to me, it is something that might last less than an hour, and it can always be resolved. I would therefore never tell my children that if they come upon suffering, they should embrace it so that they can fulfill their destinies. Ideally, no parent in the right state of mind would wish to suffer upon his or her child.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, there is more to life that is highlighted by the philosopher who tried to work through understanding how the world works. When raising children, parents must impart the rights knowledge and thoughts in their minds so that they might grow up reflective of a good society. Arguably, enlightening them on the importance of Knowledge and encouraging them to search for wisdom through education and experiences is the primary step to creating a better world. A mind is a powerful tool, and as such, the parents must strive to keep their children’s minds alive with good deeds buried deep within.

Work Cited

Melchert, Norman. The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford UP, USA, 2014.