Yegorova Vita 11/24/07 Philosophy Dan Schulz The Good Life I argue that Lucretius' views on how to live the right kind of life are beneficial and good to whoever follows in his steps. Argument 1. "The universe is made up of two things which exist in themselves: atoms, and void" (Lucretius, Book One, 419-420). 2. "What once existed has died; what now exists was just now formed" (Lucretius, Book Three, 675-676). 3. "Pleasure is purer in the sane than in the lovesick. Though they've got each other the torrid lovers are tossed in a storm of wandering, never settling on what first to see or feel. What they hunger for, they squeeze hard, tight, and cause pain, often nipping the lips between their teeth and inflicting kisses, for the pleasure's not pure; there are spurs beneath that prick them on to hurt whatever it is that makes them rave" (Lucretius, Book Four, 1066-1074). C: Lucretius has eliminated all unnecessary concerns and has found a way to live the right kind of life through hedonism by maximizing the pleasures of life and minimizing the pains.
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Evaluation 1. It is plausible that the universe is made up of only atoms and void. Lucretius' cosmonogy is more accurate than Plato's. Plato believes in God and that he is the creator of all existence. This theory is hard to prove because there is no physical proof of a God. On the other hand, Lucretius' theory is easy to prove since we can find evidence and pinpoint a source of an object's creation through science. He states that "the same atoms make the sea and sky, sun, earth, and streams, grain, trees, all things that breathe, mingling and moving differently in each" (Lucretius, Book One, 819-820). Therefore atoms and void constitute all things. Lucretius points out that "no third element can be admitted, nothing besides the atoms and the void, nothing which falls to the purview of our senses or which we grasp from reasoned argument" (Lucretius, Book One, 445-448). God does not exist because he is intangible, and cannot be either an atom or a void. Atoms and voids must work together and cannot create things separately. I agree with Lucretius because there is no evidence of God's existence. Many people believe in him to have faith and hope in an all powerful being. They look up to God as an example for how to be the all perfect being he is. However, this is just a belief. There is no actual man that lived God's life. Since God is just a belief, then there is no way that a belief could have created our universe. Lucretius' scientific approach for cosmogony is trustworthy and can be proven. It is based on facts instead of faith. 2. Lucretius' account is plausible and shows that there is no after life. When someone dies, Lucretius believes that that person is dead; their life has ended. He also believes that the soul is as one with the body meaning that neither can exist on its own. When a person dies, "trust that
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the soul spills too and perishes the sooner and melts the quicker into its atoms once it's been drawn away from the human body" (Lucretius, Book Three, 437-439). Lucretius does not believe in an afterlife because souls turn back into atoms. These atoms and void help create a new human being. There is no afterlife or heavenly place for the soul to live in. Also, our souls are not immortal and do not fill the bodies of numerous humans. However, Plato believes that "the soul still exists after a man has died and that it still possesses some capability and intelligence" (Phaedo, 70b). Plato believes that once the soul has left the body, it goes to a higher realm with all the other souls. In order for a soul to get there, it must be cleared of all bodily pleasures. Plato believes that you must spend your life preparing for the afterlife by pursuing knowledge and avoiding concerns of the body. Lucretius also believes that the pursuit of knowledge brings true happiness, but not for the afterlife. Instead, he believes in leading a happy life while you are alive. I agree with this because there is no point to waste your life and only prepare for what's coming after it's over. Plato's belief cannot be proved since there is no evidence of the afterlife and none could ever be found. Many people believe in an afterlife just to motivate themselves to lead good lives. However, you can still lead a good life without worrying about where your soul is going. Since Lucretius proves there is no God, only atoms and voids, then we shouldn't care where our soul goes because it turns back into atoms. Our previous lives do not determine our next life since the soul dies with the body. 3. It is true that the sane enjoy more pleasure than the lovesick. Living a life filled with constant worrying, stress, or troubles does not leave room for happiness. Lucretius makes a point that it is important to pursue activities or people that bring you pleasure. However, in order to stay happy, you cannot take advantage of this thing or have too much of it. For example, if you love
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someone, then love them and care for them. Don't let them take over your life making you forget your own needs and goals. Also, it is important not to let this love take advantage of you. A love, or anything enjoyable, can fill your life in unhealthy ways. Pursuing a loved one may sometimes leave you blind. There is a fine line between love and hate, and it is very easy to mix up these feelings. Lucretius points out that some pleasures in life are not pure, meaning they actually make you angrier, no matter how strongly you believe you are happy. It is easy to be fooled by something that brings you pleasure. Wanting the feeling of pleasure so bad will ultimately lead you down a path full of denial and hatred. This, Lucretius says, is how pleasure brings you pain. Lucretius' way of reaching happiness is through hedonism which is to maximize pleasure while minimizing pain. Finding personal pleasures is important to reach happiness. When those pleasures become a chore or an obligation, then true happiness is gone. I agree with Lucretius because once you have to do something or be with someone, you cannot find enjoyment in the task. If you start putting in extra effort just to feel as happy as you once were with something, then the pleasure is gone. Being able to choose the life you live and how you live it is part of experiencing true pleasure and happiness. I believe that the way that Lucretius chose to live his life is the best way for a person to live. He set his beliefs of cosmogony on concrete evidence, instead of an all-mighty being. He also chooses to live his life in the moment, and not worry about what happens when he dies. This is important for someone because there is no way to prove that there is an afterlife. It is wasteful to spend your life preparing for something that does not exist. By eliminating your worries, Lucretius believes will you find true happiness with
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the life you live and the choices you are able to make. I think this is important to live a good life because you are making your own decisions and will fairly face the consequences.
You Will Survive In our society today, ethics are highly magnified and placed at the center of each situation. We ask ourselves, "Why did he do that?" or "what makes him the way that he is?" With numerous injustices going on the world, you start to think that no one has morals anymore. But who are you to judge? Who decides which morals to follow and which beliefs are sinful? Each culture has its own belief system so there is no common ground in our world today. Depending on the society you belong to, you will value some things over others. It is important to look at each culture and find patterns in their beliefs. Observing people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, gives you knowledge about their morals. In order to live the right life, evaluating yourself and those around you will maximize your pleasure. Objections and Replies 1. Although Nietzsche does not establish his own ethics, he does a great job of presenting many aspects of moral life that allow you to live a better life. Being one of the fathers of psychology, Nietzsche is credible for the ways he describes people and their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Understanding those around you will help you understand yourself and your morals. In order to live life through Lucretius's hedonism, Nietzsche believes that examining
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others will ultimately bring pleasure. Pleasure entails knowledge, happiness, and freedom to live your own life. Nietzsche states that "it is our needs that interpret the world" (The Will to Power). This relates to Lucretius because he believed in hedonism and that happiness is reached when pleasure is maximized. Our desires, or needs, that bring us pleasure are what we base our lives around. These needs become the focus of your life and by creating a world from these needs, pleasure can be achieved. It is important to recognize that each individual has different needs, therefore different pleasures. In order to maximize pleasure in this type of world, people need to accept others' needs. If each individual was not accepting, then there would be no peace among the group. Envy and hatred among the group will lead to stress and bitterness, eventually causing pain. Nietzsche's claim supports Lucretius way of living. Since our needs drive us to make certain decisions, it is important to evaluate your needs from time to time. Many times, something that you think you need is actually the wrong thing for you. To fully life a pleasurable life, one must establish value and meaning to their needs. If your life changes then the needs will most likely change as well. To maximize pleasure, you will need to prioritize your needs and make sure all your effort and attention is solely for one thing. Many people strive to achieve pleasure through something that "aims at nothing and achieves nothing" (The Will to Power, Section 12). Nietzsche states that the "recognition of the long waste of strength" is a turning point for a better life (The Will to Power, Section 12). If one strives for pleasure and gets nothing in return, then he must not truly need that which he seeks.
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This evaluation will spark a change in your beliefs and your needs. This change will lead you to a happier life because all your strength and devotion will no longer be wasted. 2. It is very important to understand individuals around you and other societies in the world. Each society has its own values and beliefs which causes its members to feel superior to those in other societies. Nietzsche presents the idea of labeling groups "good" and "bad." He describes what is known today as in-group bias. Members that belong to your group are perceived as good, and everyone else is perceived as bad; "it was the good themselves, that is to say, the noble, powerful, high-stationed and high-minded, who felt and established themselves and their actions as good, that is of the first rank, in contradistinction to all the low, low-minded, common and plebeian" (Genealogy of Morals, pg. 25-26). Since in-group bias is present in all societies, there can never be an agreement on what and how highly something is valued. Each society will fight for what they believe in. Nietzsche examines the labels of "good" and "bad," and what they mean to us. These two terms are mainly used in describing morals. However, good and bad are irrelevant to morals since each society creates their own meaning for these terms. Therefore, I believe morals are not universal. Depending on where you live, who you live with, and how you live your life, your morals will adjust accordingly. It is unfair to judge someone's actions based on their morals because in-group bias will cause a faulty assumption. Being open minded to others and their beliefs is necessary to survive in our world today. Besides examining differences among societies, it is also important to look at how strongly a society influences the individual. Nietzsche states that "social values were erected over man to
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strengthen their voices, as if they were commands of God" (The Will to Power, Section 7). Members of a society are able to control an individual by creating norms, or an informal set of rules. If an individual is outside of these norms, then basically, it will be the end of their world. Societal values and norms are considered godly by the individual. He or she strives to be accepted and respected in their society. The norms must be met and if they are not, society treats that person as if he or she had disrespected God. It is amazing to see how much influence a society has over an individual. The power a society has over an individual is dangerous. Societies will use fear and intimidation to create conformity. They will do whatever it takes to make you believe in the same beliefs and act the same way. This control over an individual is important to consider when judging their morals. Sometimes, people are forced to believe or do something they don't want to. Both Lucretius and Nietzsche would agree that in this situation, you must gain strength and stand up for yourself. Having the courage to let your voice be heard will benefit you. Living life the way you want to is empowering. Not only will you work for things that bring you pleasure in life, but you will also be happy with yourself. Figuring out what you need and what you believe in is all part of forming your morals. Morals shouldn't be imposed on to you or labeled. Societies differ in too many ways to have universal ethics. Individuals achieve greater pleasure when establishing their own beliefs as well as having knowledge of beliefs of those around them.