Linking Aristotles virtue with character Essay Example for Free

Linking Aristotles virtue with character Essay Aristotles virtue ethics is often considered to be founded on character such that an individuals character defines his or her virtues. It is important to note that Aristotle gives emphasis to the idea that virtue is acquired through habit. In this regard, it can be presumed that there is a connection between character and virtue in the context of Aristotles philosophy. This is especially interesting to look into precisely because human beings think and act at least in terms of ones consciousness or idea of ethics, specifically through ones moral precepts. If it is indeed true that individuals think and act in ways related to ones moral inclinations in their daily lives, then it is a strong reason to contend that virtue and character are all the more important elements in the life of humanity. The point that I would like to raise—and agree with Aristotle—is the idea that our habits, the way in which we do things on a regular basis, form a large sum—if not all—of our character. And since character builds our very virtues, it can be presumed that the things that we do on a regular basis define our virtues. That is, if we continue to harbor the bad or evil elements in the society, then it is most likely the case that our character develops into something bad or evil. In the end, there will be little or no room for us to acquire virtues. The task of this assignment is to identify what is the connection between character and virtue in the context of Aristotle by providing Aristotles description of how we acquire virtues and why choice is an important component of these virtues. In the Book III of Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics, I found out that one basic notion in Aristotelian ethics that occupies a central significance is Aristotle’s belief in the role of man’s activities in order for one to acquire ethical knowledge. That is, for one to become virtuous or to obtain virtues one should not merely confine himself to mere studying of these virtues but rather one should, more importantly, actualize this knowledge of the virtues. Thus, for one to become good, one should do good. I also found out in the same work of Aristotle the doctrine of the mean. The essence of this doctrine dwells on the basic precept that one ought to avoid the extremes and, instead, settle for the â€Å"mean†. The actions of men, more specifically, ought to be framed upon the â€Å"mean† which is the virtue. For example, the virtue of courage rests on the mean between two extremes: cowardice or the â€Å"lack† of courage, and rashness or the â€Å"excess† in courage. All of these things answer the central question being asked, specifically the identification of the connection between virtue and character. For the most part, the thought of the acquisition of virtue requires a form of a good act which, when constantly repeated or enacted on a regular basis, forms the character of the individual. The individual should not only be inclined towards a theoretical understanding of these good acts but should also be inclined to enacting them, of living them on purpose and free will. It is not enough that the individual should simply live the theoretical perspectives of doing good acts for it does not suffice to forming the character of the individual. Moreover, these good acts are founded on the principle of the mean wherein the individual is supposed to be acting not within the extremes but between these extremes because they are the evils. Hence, character is connected to virtue through ones good—or middle—actions performed habitually. I figured out that Aristotle implies the idea that man is indeed a social being in the sense that one cannot sufficiently do good without the presence of other people. That is, without other people to whom our good deeds will be enacted to, our actions may hardly be conceived as good in the first place precisely because we may only be helpful if there are people to help, we may only be kind if there are people to whom we will be kind, or we may only be loving if there are other people to love just to name a few. Of course, my thoughts may be unacceptable to other people for they may also have their own thoughts about the ethics of Aristotle. But more to this, I figured out that those people who surround us have a large role in the formation of our character. Social isolation does not give room for the moral development of an individual. On the other hand, I have arrived at a question concerning Aristotles virtue ethics, especially with his doctrine of the mean. Exactly how are we to know when we are acting in the middle such that we avert from the extremes or the vices? Granted that we may be able to identify the vices that we should avoid, when can we say that we are truly in the middle path? How can too much knowledge be a vice or an evil when Aristotle gives a substantial account and importance to knowledge? While there may still a handful of questions that may have been left untouched, it can hardly be doubted that our actions share a significant role in defining our characters as human beings. Whether or not an individual believes in virtue ethics or in morality in general, it remains a fact that our actions have consequences to us and to other people. Reference Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Martin Ostwald. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1962.

Psilocybin :: essays research papers

Psilocybin History Psilocybin first appeared in Native American habitats as long ago as 1000 b.c. but was seriously investigated until 1936. Westerners first discovered the drug and it was first synthesized by Dr. Albert Hoffman in 1958. It was first used as a tool in psychotherapy and the treatment of emotional disorders. Yes, psilocybin is illegal and its possession, use, and sale carry heavy prison sentences and fines and disciplinary consequences. It is illegal because it had high potential for abuse and does not have any legitimate medical use. Psilocybin is in Schedule I. Schedule I is categorized as the most dangerous with no medical utility. Effects The physical effects include nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, drowsiness, and lack of coordination. Some users experience such extremely unpleasant hallucinations that the fear of that experience remains with them for life. Relationships with others are affected by use of Psilocybin just like the use of other drugs. People can become so obsessed with using that they no longer feel the need to maintain relationships with others. They sacrifice too many things, including relationships. Medical Use There is no longer any medical use for the chemical. Psilocybin used to be used to treat various emotional disorders. It is no longer used for medical purposes because studies have shown that hallucinogens do more harm than good. There is no longer any legitimate medical use. Miscellaneous Facts The drug is most often sold in the mushrooms themselves and are known by names like "psychedelic mushrooms," "magic mushrooms," and "'shrooms." Psilocybin does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior and addiction to hallucinogens such as Psilocybin is rare. Mushrooms have been taken in religious rituals in indigenous cultures in Mexico and

Becoming Self Directed Learners

For an individual to be successful there is a need to become a self-directed and a self-aware learner. Being one entails the person to exercise habits which can influence his success. These habits are the so-called Habits of the Mind, which are presented in this paper, are most important to be practiced by both students and professionals in order to acquire knowledge and in order to discover that learning is, indeed, fun and exciting.In the context of being a self-directed learner, it is very evident that there is a need for an individual to possess skills and talents which makes him unique and which can make him the best student and professional he can be. However, to direct one’s self is not an easy tasks for it takes one to have patience and understanding that everything in the surrounding comes from a certain origin and that is what has to be discovered in the learning process. Moreover, self-directed learning and being a self-aware one makes an individual acquire more kno wledge other than what is taught and given within the four walls of the classroom.As mentioned, having to practice the 16 habits of the mind is the important factor which greatly influences a person’s success and his way towards being a self-directed and self-aware learner. Other than these 16 habits, there are also other factors which are important; these includes focusing one’s attention on the tasks and responsibilities being assigned to and being able to have that initiate and common sense to take necessary actions should the need arises.This paper clearly discusses how a student and a professional must engage themselves in behaviours and attitudes which can contribute to their success. INTRODUCTION All individuals have the intention of becoming a successful professional in whatever field one wants to engage himself in. There are factors which can influence the success of a person. It all starts in having a god foundation of basic, secondary and tertiary education. Academic institutions must, therefore, give the best instructions to all students so they can land a good job soon after they graduate.On the other hand, the success of a student could not only be attributed to the instructions given the teachers within the four walls of the classroom. There is also a need for the student to learn things on his own, to explore the world and to discover things which are not taught in school. It is a fact that everything is not learned from school. Some things are learned through experiences; reading books, newspapers; watching television shows and browsing the internet. These are not only the sources of information. There can be a lot more should a student is willing to devout much time of it.One of the many factors in which a student must develop in his early years of schooling is the ability to direct his own self towards the learning process. To possess the ability of self-directed and self-aware learner makes him easy to understand the instructi ons given by the teacher and to discover the wonders of the world. A self-directed learner and a self-aware one is one of the important behaviours each student must have in order to achieve what they want to achieve and in order to become what they want to be in the future.Successful business and government leaders in the country have the initiative to learn and discover things on their own; thus, they have practiced being a self-directed and a self-aware learner. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Students use various ways to learn and students have various intellectual levels, either. But this must not hinder one’s desire to be ahead of others and to learn new things other than those being taught in school. One of the attributes of being a self-directed learner is the ability to apply the 16 Habits of the Mind. These habits have been characterized by successful personalities in the world.These include having the persistence and perseverance to complete a task, being an impulsive manag er, to listen to others with understanding and empathy, to think with flexibility, have the ability of metacognitition, to strive for accuracy, to question and pose problems, to apply past knowledge to new situations, to think and communicate with clarity and precision, to gather data through all senses, to respond with wonderment and awe, to create, imagine and innovate, to take responsible risks, to think interdependently and to remain open to continuous learning.These habits focus the attention of the students and professionals on the processes and strategies to engage in an effective learning environment. (Campbell) The behaviour to direct one’s self to learning is a process and a psychological predisposition of the learner. In this process, the learner, on his own, identifies his needs, defines his learning goals and develops and implement the learning plans. Those who are successful in the practice of this process are those who are highly ready for self-directed learnin g which happens to be a complex mixture of knowledge, skills, habits and attitudes.(Guglielmo,P) In addition, self-directed learning is natural process in which it has not lost its power to output a high quality education which can bring fulfilment. For self-directed learning, the learner must choose the content on his own, be able to determine schedules, to learn with great passion and to lead and live a very productive life. Self-directed learners have the initiatives to develop learning style on their own. They are responsible in their own time and action. (Langerfeldt)For a student or a professional to become a successful self-directed and self-aware learner, one must possess the ability to engage himself in new styles and ways to acquire knowledge. With the advent of information technology, there are various styles which can then be applied by anybody who craves success. Being a self-directed and self-aware learner requires one to be a leader on his own. Being a leader means be ing real, being authentic. Being a leader also means focusing one’s strengths on the tasks assigned and to never forget that there is always a room for improvement and being a leader means to capitalize on one’s uniqueness.(Ambler,2006) In addition, there is a need for an individual to raise his awareness on the things that matter most. To raise self-awareness, one must be given choices regularly. For the teachers, there is a need to put himself on the learner’s shoes, the teacher must analyze the advantages of this type of learning and the teacher must be able to employ effective strategies to ensure that learning is facilitated in the most easy and convenient way. (Chojnacka,2000)To become a self-directed and self-aware learner, one has to practice mindfulness- that is to focus on the most important things which can contribute to the success of his own self and to the company, in general. There is also a need for an individual to know himself so he can make ch oices on how he can respond to the demands of the people around him and the situation he might encounter in the future. When one has an in-depth understanding of his own self, it is much easier for one to be consistent and to follow and trust those people who are sincere. (Ambler, 2007)The most important factor to influence one’s success is having the ability to direct one’s self in learning and be more aware of the people and the environment in which he is a part. Another characteristic of becoming a self-directed learner is the ability to be resourceful – to explore, investigate and delve into the reasons behind the existence of things. Being enrolled in the world class academic institution is not the only assurance to become a successful and an influential person; but also having the ability to lead one’s self towards the endless quest for knowledge.Students must always remember that learning is a continuous process; hence, they must acquire skills whi ch can make them different from the rest. In self-directed learning, the learner must be able to understand and recognize that learning includes actions on their part and they must acquire certain skills and knowledge to meet their learning needs. There must also be strategies in which these are flexible and adaptable to the learner to ensure that the process is conducted in a very smooth flow. (Wulff, Burke & Hurley, 2001)CONCLUSION In the world where competition is so stiff and strong, there is a need for an individual to possess skill which makes him ahead of others and which makes him more saleable than others. This starts in having the ability to learn and engage his self in activities which can enhance his critical-thinking and logical skills. To become a self-directed and self-aware learner, one must have the reasoning ability and the initiate to take actions on how to uncover the truth behind the existence of everything.Not only should this be sought by the learners but also the unending process of learning must be fully understood. It is, therefore, important for students and professionals to become self-directed and self-aware learners in order to excel and to bring pride and glory to the organization in which one works. It may not be an easy task to become a self-directed learner; however, it is a very fulfilling one. Lastly, in the area of learning, being a self-directed and self-aware are important behaviours which students and professionals must possess.RECOMMENDATION Becoming a successful student or professional is no easy task for one must be a self-directed and self-aware learner. To become such, it is recommended that students, as early as their education years, must practice the habits of the mind in order to exercise their thoughts and to invoke their reasoning ability to be able to cope with the demands of the people and the environment. It is also important for the teachers to give activities to students which allows them to think rationa lly and with deep understanding on what they are doing.In the same manner, in the professional world, there is also a need for an individual to engage his self to activities which enhances greater chance of developing his skills such as listen and understand that no two people or situation are the same. The attitude of listening and understanding are two most important factors for one to become a self-directed and self-aware learner. In addition, it is also recommended that an individual must, at all time, use his initiative in attacking problems. REFERENCES Ambler, G. (2006). †Leader, Be Yourself†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www.thepracticeofleadership. net/2006/04/03/leader-be-yourself/. Amber, G. (2006). â€Å"The Practice of Mindfulness†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. thepracticeofleadership. net/2007/07/18/the-practice-of-mindfulness/. Campbell,J. â€Å"Theorising Habits of Mind as a Framework for Learning†. Retrieved on M ay 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. aare. edu. au/06pap/cam06102. pdf. Chojnacka,E. (2000). â€Å"Raising Self-awareness in advanced Learners Practicing Listening Comprehension†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. iatefl. org. pl/tdal/n3selfaware. htm. Guglielmo,P. (2003).â€Å"Becoming a More Self-Directed Learner†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://media. wiley. com/product_data/excerpt/49/07879650/0787965049. pdf. Langerfeldt, B. (2009). â€Å"Self-Directed Learning-The Seven Benefits of Designing your own Education†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://ezinearticles. com/? Self-Directed-Learning—The-Seven-Benefits-of-Designing-Your-Own-Education&id=1054279. Wulff,S. ; et al. (2001). â€Å"Guided Self-Learning: Strategies for distance and On-site Education†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. uwex. edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/01_7. pdf.

A Brief Look at Dreams - 558 Words

Dreams Dreams are the sequences of image, emotions and thought passing through a sleeping persons mind. Dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities and for the dreamers delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties. These are the words from David G. Myers in his book â€Å"Exploring Psychology†. There are four major stages in sleep NREM-1, NREM-2, NREM-3 and REM. Dreams occurs in REM stage and last about ten minutes. But many of us has question- Why we Dream? What are the theories behind the dream? Mostly our dreaming events will be from data today events. Still we are not sure what we are going to dream. We dream because we need to satisfy our wishes. Humans are not all satisfied with what they have they always urge for new facilities and pleasure. So it is very difficult to make happy a human. World has a bunch of things which attracts them and it is impossible to have it. One of my dreams was about studies. I was totally upset about one of my scores in one of my subject. I think about it a lot on that day. I just went to sleep. I saw a great dream that I have score very good in my subjects and become the student of the year in university. I was as happier about my success. This best explain the theory: Dream is for satisfying our wishes. According to Freud we dreams only to satisfy our ambitions wishes and about our success.Show MoreRelated Analysis of Dream Children Essay952 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Dream Children  Ã‚     Ã‚   The question is asked as to why Gail Godwin titles her story Dream Children when it seems that only one dream child is mentioned. It is simply because there is more then one dream child, and they are present in more places then just the McNair’s house. Gail Godwin makes the assumption that many people are or were dream children, including Mrs. McNair. 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