What Makes a Life Worth Living: a Philosophy of Life

The idea of life worth living takes on many different meanings to each person who considers the question. Here is a quote from Steven Redhead, “It is the beautiful things that you behold that makes life worth living.” ― Steven Redhead, Life’s Impressions (Goodreads, n.d.). For myself, knowing that I have a purpose in life, and I have done everything in my power to do the right thing for each day. Worth of living is a since of being fulfilled. Happiness, joy, doing the right thing, a healthy attitude of yourself, self-worth, to love and receive love, to serve others, and knowing your purpose in life are all things that come to mind when asked the question “What makes life worth living?”.

The difference between philosophy and sophistry

Philosophy is asking questions about one’s reality and existence (Famakinwa, 2012). In a since, philosophy is asking the question “what makes one tick”, “why do we exist”, “where are we going”, and “why we are going”. A quote from Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates (Goodreads, n.d.). Many scholars disagreed with self-examination, for fear the person could not deal with the negative effects of the outcome (Timmons, G. 2019). But when one self-examines, the outcome, in my opinion, depends on what decisions the person makes with the outcome. The person may choose to overcome and make changes or decide to continue to live in the unhappiness or negative place. Negativity is not always a bad place to be in when it produces a positive outcome. Philosophy is also known as the “love of wisdom”, as philo in Greek means love and sophy means wisdom. Wisdom to me is having the experience to know what to do when a circumstance arises.

Sophistry or to be called a sophist is when a wise person or philosopher is trying to persuade their own ideas instead of the truth for their own gain. Sophists believe in relativism and individualism. It is the practice of deception while using the truth. (Mitchell, H.B., 2019)

Socrates’s account of philosophical life

Socrates was an ancient Greek scholar, teacher, and philosopher. He thought that philosophy should produce practical outcomes that benefit society. He tried to create an ethical framework based on human reason rather than religious teaching. (Timmons, G. 2019)

Human decision, according to Socrates, is driven by a desire for pleasure. Knowing oneself is the source of ultimate wisdom. The more a person's capacity to reason and make decisions that will offer real happiness, the higher a person's ability to reason and make decisions that will bring contentment. Socrates claimed the governments functioned best when they were headed by people with the greatest ability, knowledge, and virtue, as well as a thorough grasp of themselves. He used a dialectic approach to ask his colleagues questions, pushing his listeners to work through a topic to a rational conclusion. (Timmons, G. 2019)

Socrates conclusions for life where happiness is a natural desire for all people. Happiness is attainable and teachable via human effort. Happiness is directional rather than additive: it is determined by how we utilize external assets, not by what we have. Happiness is dependent on “desire education, in which the soul learns to harmonize its wants, shifting its focus away from sensual pleasures and toward the love of knowledge and virtue. Virtue and happiness are so intimately intertwined that having one without the other is inconceivable. The joys derived from seeking morality and knowledge are of a better caliber than those derived from fulfilling purely animal impulses. Pleasure, on the other hand, is not the purpose of existence, but rather an essential component of living a fully human life. (Timmons, G. 2019)

References

1. Famakinwa, J. (2012). IS THE UNEXAMINED LIFE WORTH LIVING OR NOT? Think, 11(31), 97-103. doi:10.1017/S1477175612000073
2. Goodreads. (n.d.). Life worth living quotes (14 quotes). Goodreads. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/life-worth-living.
3. Vocabulary.com. (n.d.)., https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary.
4. Mitchell, H.B. (2019), Roots of Wisdom: A Tapestry of Philosophical Traditions, Eighth Edition, © 2019, 2015, 2011 Cengage Learning, ISBN: 978-1-337-55980-5
5. Timmons, G. (2019, September 9). Socrates. Biography.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.biography.com/scholar/socrates.