Ninjafroggy wrote:
Thank you for all the advice guys. And for the guys saying I can't write, here's an essay I wrote last week for our weekly essays for philosophy class. It took me a few hours, but I think I summed up the purpose of life pretty well in one page.
"Looking at the natural world, Aristotle observed that everything seemed to have a purpose for which it was made. When observing humans, Aristotle concluded that the purpose for which a human being was made was to strive for happiness. In modern society, many people equate happiness with pleasure, believing that pleasure is humanity’s sole motivation. After all, who does not like pleasure? However, by merely looking at the world, one can clearly see that that view is flawed and shallow. First of all, we do not always do what we like. Why do we work? Why do we follow the law? Why are we not all three-hundred pounds and addicted to drugs? Human beings seek more than just pleasure; we seek a deeper sense of inner fulfillment. Moreover, who would truly want to live a life of sole pleasure, free from any burdens or responsibilities. Fyodor Dostoevsky sums up this view superbly in Notes from the Underground: “Shower upon him every earthly blessing, drown him in a sea of happiness, so that nothing but bubbles of bliss can be seen on the surface; give him economic prosperity, such that he should have nothing else to do but sleep, eat cakes and busy himself with the continuation of his species, and even then out of sheer ingratitude, sheer spite, man would play you some nasty trick”. Then what does Aristotle mean by happiness? Aristotle means that humanity strives for meaning, something that we might achieve only through trying to live up to our full potential. The virtuous path to meaning is a struggle. It requires accepting the suffering of life, adopting responsibility for one’s existence, and fighting relentlessly for the greatest good. But why even bother trying to live up to our full potential if we are inherently flawed? Meaning is not guaranteed, even if one struggles their hardest to live a noble life. However, one can be wholly sure that meaning will not miraculously come to him while he sits on the couch and plays video games all day."
Meh...C+. This paragraph is trite and reads like someone merely searched Google for literary quotes to back up a shallow assertion. You write about the nobility of suffering and yet, you do not quantify the true meaning of suffering and the rewards of overcoming struggle. Please refrain from using hackneyed imagery regarding body mass, narcotics usage, and video games to personify lackadaisical behavior. Without proper supporting context, this belies a rigid and unempathetic worldview based on stereotypes.