Activity

1. State your own opinion or view why there is a need to study philosophy?
2. What are the concerns of practical men based on your own observation of how
an ordinary life is lived by everyone? In relation to it, why philosophy is a shame
for others?

Answer Sheet:
Philosophy is characterized as the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge,
reality, and existence, specifically when considered as a pedagogic discipline. It needs
to be studied because it touches almost any area where intelligence was present or
expressed; covers almost everything that needs intelligence. Philosophy had a holistic
approach to life antiquity; it is applied to almost any area of life. We need to study
philosophy because we need to understand the need of ethical thinking, specifically in
considering reasons behind human behavior, and to differentiate decision-making from
moral ones. Studying philosophy is a necessity because it is not just a simple course or
a subject, it is immensely powerful as it helps an individual to reclaim a public and
private wisdom of thinking, reasoning, and perception, it helps in resuming our human
condition as mediator of truth, and it reminds people that our worldview is determined by
the environment, people, race, class, and developmental stage of culture. It also gives
us realizations that will make us understand a lot of things such as how mysterious life
is – that it is a vast realm in which we function as human beings. Life is tough and has
many depraved and great things to offer, and we merely need to prepare ourselves for
those – and philosophy will help us in dealing with the aforementioned circumstances. It
is important to be taught and studied because people, nowadays, focuses more on
earthly things (being practical men), and do not mind of others, the goods of the mind,
and how precious life is. It needs to be studied not for an answer to such a question, but
merely for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions broaden our
conception of what is possible, enhance our intellectual imagination and reduce the rigid
assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through
the preeminence of the universe which philosophy anticipates, through unity of mind
may arise that unity of purpose and character is what makes up a personality, and
offers some order and dignity to our existence. Philosophy also gives us the capacity
and wisdom to think critically, understand, and forgive. To sum up, it is for us to
understand and appreciate our purpose, the essence and point of life, our existence,
and knowledge. Philosophy is what will make us live our lives to the fullest, enjoy and
value our existence as well as the others.
The practical man only knows material needs, and recognizes that people must
have food for the body, but is unmindful of the stipulation of providing food for the mind.
He is a person that is lacking in liberal culture; one whose comforts are material and
commonplace. A practical man does not even mind providing for the society, as well as
the “goods for the mind.” These kinds of people are not into finding answers, and only
gets interested to people when they benefit from them. Practical man does not
understand that goods of the body is as important as the goods of the mind. Practical
man is hard to be persuaded about the value and importance of philosophy as they do
not believe in the superiority of goods for the mind.
Philosophy is a shameful question for others, especially to practical men as they
fail in their endeavor in discerning the value of philosophy. It is shameful for them
because they think that learning or studying philosophy is a waste of time, and it
distracts us from real-world concerns. These people believe that Philosophy is not as
useful and practical as the other subjects or activities, that it cannot be used in
calculations, finding a job, etc. Thinking that philosophy cannot give the material needs
and feed the body. It cannot provide money for people to spend; lift people to dizzy
dignities in a democratic state; perhaps it may people careless of these worldly things.
Moreover, even though philosophy is a waste of time for others, and they think that it
may not give the things that we need – food to eat, clothes, money, and such –
philosophy is needed for it stops us from being ignorantly naïve, greedy, rude, brutal in
behavior, having an unstable character, being sightlessly miserable, disorganized in
mind, slovenly, and self-contradictory in our thinking. Philosophy will provide us a
healing unity of soul – that will lend us some dignity to our existence.

Activity
A. Is Stoic sense of apathy ethical? Why or why not?
Explain your view further.
B. Discuss the strengths and limits of Hedonism and Epicureanism based on how
you analyzed and understood these ethical theories.

Answer sheet:
Stoic sense of apathy is ethical because it gives human the sense of self control.
It enables them to manage the things they can and cannot do. In other words, yes,
stoicism is ethical because it does not conform the sense of eagerness to someone who
is under its power to control everything even if he/she cannot really do it. This ethical
principle enables us to see ourselves beyond our own perspective, it helps us test and
check for things that we can actually do compare to the things we cannot do. Stoic
teaches us the idea of developing our self-control to avoid destructive emotions that
might trigger us as humans. We become critical in the way we act as a person, and we
became critique of ourselves as well.
Stoicism gives us the knowledge that not everything is something we can handle.
There are things beyond our control, there are things who is superior than us and might
ruin our self if we will push ourselves to that certain thing. Our emotion is valuable, it
validates how we act and think. That is why stoicism enables us to see our limits to
avoid disruptive emotions that might surely lead us to confusion to ourselves. Moreover,
it reminds us that difficulties in life should not be avoided nor be ignored, it rather be
faced. Also, one of the key factors that stoicism helps us is that is makes us think
universally. We are not bias with our emotions but a critical thinker to every situation.
Stoicism is an ethical philosophy that allows us to see reasons beyond our perspective
and not just those reasons that is in our front view.
Hedonism and Epicureanism are two email ethical theories that goals the
pleasure of one person and avoid fear, pain and negative situations. Based from my
understanding of the text the strengths of Hedonism is that it only aims for things that
can give pleasure/satisfaction to people, it avoids any situation that might trigger peace
and calm life. People who believed in Hedonism are in their full pleasured self as they
don’t accept sufferings in life. They view pleasure as the most important pursuit of
mankind, that is why mankind are also striving to get the maximize total of pleasure they
can experience. Hedonism’s limit is that it denies pain and sufferings which are the
things that is very important for a person’s growth. Without suffering and pains a person
will not be able to test the limit of his/her own self. While the Epicureanism aims
tranquility, Epicureanism is a form of hedonism but with the absence of suffering also.
Based from my understanding, Epicureanism is that the greatest goal of Epicureans is
to seek sustainable pleasure. It aims to free oneself from pain, both emotional and
physical pain. Epicureans does not consider things that will disturb their goal to
eliminate fear and body pain. Its limits are that the same as in Hedonism a person
cannot test whether he/she can handle pains from this world because they are avoiding
it. They are unable to test who they can be as they want to live life under pleasure and
will never suffer from it.