Introduction
Philosophy may be perceived by an average person who never studied it as a complex and confusing discussion, leading to a simple, definitive conclusion about ethics, goodness, truth, courage, or governmental structure. Although this view is generally accurate because it seeks answers to questions in the sphere of education, politics, values, and morality, this discipline is vast. Indeed, the works of two ancient Greek philosophers that we studied this semester altered my understanding of this field. Specifically, Aristotle’s Rhetoric and Politics and Plato’s Republic and Phaedrus made me reconsider the purpose of this subject. Philosophy’s two primary objectives are to encourage a person not to relate one’s well-being to external events and elicit action in a person for the greater good rather than passively observing and discussing ideas.
Main body
The first insight from these philosophical writings that shifted my viewpoint about this field was the distinctive role of the end goal and action in Plato’s and Aristotle’s works. Indeed, Plato was one of the strong opponents of equalizing rhetoric and philosophy. He believed that the former was a type of aimless conversation while the latter was an “educative practice, which pivoted around a conception of practical wisdom” (Ballacci, 2018, p. 16). Plato’s Republic seems to attack the hypocrisy of poetry and rhetoric, suggesting that true philosophers embody their teachings in real life. Nevertheless, in his other work, Phaedrus, Plato describes rhetoric as a helpful tool for philosophy. He highlighted the importance of this art of persuasion in convincing people to act rather than be indifferent spectators of their lives and apathetic citizens of the state. Before studying this course, I did not distinguish between these two fields, viewing philosophy as a subject that utilizes complex syntax and pretentious words. However, after reading Aristotle and Plato, I realized that it has a practical application in modern lifestyle, politics, economic relations, and human interactions.
The second insight that I obtained from these philosophical works was that one’s mental state should be independent of other people’s actions. In fact, Aristotle’s Politics mentions that God is content regardless of outside events; hence, human-divine nature should strive for this condition of mind when one remains happy despite external criticism or praise (Rist, 2019). This thought drives the subsequent idea of action for the common good and self-improvement to achieve internal happiness, not associated with the world’s acknowledgment. Aristotle claims in Politics that “static excellence” is insufficient, and thus action is needed for the sake of internal satisfaction rather than as an extrinsic reward and recognition for attaining happiness (Rist, 2019, p. 159). It proves that effort and active stand were the highest priorities for the teachers of morals.
Summary
In summary, Plato’s and Aristotle’s works served as guidance to fully comprehend philosophy’s central objective. Indeed, it is to persuade people to change their perceptions of their position in the world and make them take action for the greater good. However, reading these writings for the first time was quite challenging for me; therefore, I plan to compare different translated versions before diving into one of them in the future. Furthermore, I will highlight and make notes of important ideas and characters that participate in a philosophical dialogue to recognize their viewpoints. Finally, I am eager to incorporate the ideas of being virtuous and happy regardless of external events in the next year through daily morning meditation and charity work in our neighborhood.
References
Ballacci, G. (2018). Between philosophy and rhetoric: Plato and Aristotle. In Political theory between philosophy and rhetoric (pp. 13-50). Palgrave Macmillan.
Rist, J. M. (2019). Rhetoric and politics: Form and content. In The mind of Aristotle (pp. 135-164). University of Toronto Press.