The Philosophers Way by Howard

The Philosophers Way by Howard - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

The mind is a terrible thing to waste, yet many people choose to allow their mind to simply waste away. It really is a shame, which is why I would teach philosophy had the roles been reversed. Philosophy gives the mind a basis to work off of allowing the lives’ of many people to significantly improve. I truly believe that by teaching philosophy I could influence others to think logically, encourage a peaceful way of life, and decrease the amount of actions dictated by extreme emotions.
Logical thinking should be one of the top priorities in education today, as the outcome of most - if not all - of the decisions we make depend on whether or not we use a logical process or think irrationally. Though I cannot say for certain that using a logical process would guarantee positive outcomes, I can say that the process has helped me. I am confident that it would do the same for many other individuals as well. Philosophers of the past had great ideas of thinking logically, as they applied the same process in their lives. I would not encourage one to think exactly as a philosopher, however, I would encourage one to break down potentially life-altering decisions. We are bound to make mistakes due to the simple fact that we are human beings, but by thinking carefully about major decisions many of our mistakes can be negated.
Mistakes and violence have a close relation to each other - I would aim to teach others to decrease violence through decreasing mistakes. I will not speak for everyone but I am sure that many people wish for peace. The only problem with such a wish is that many people do not seem to think logically enough to allow for peace. As long as we continue to make countless mistakes others will be angered. Anger is most likely the reason for much of the violence today. I would teach people the importance of controlling such anger, as mistakes are bound to happen as I previously mentioned. Instead of wasting energy on anger, using energy for forgiveness and learning to understand what may have caused a mistake is the ideal action. This would likely lead to much less violence, thus leading to a more peaceful existence. Anger isn’t the only problematic emotion, though.
Emotions seem to control the lives of many people, plain and simple. Many people make decisions strictly based on how they are feeling, not giving a thought of the possible consequences that could follow. I believe that most people have the ability to control their emotions, it is just a matter of training. I would teach how to control emotions so that an individual's actions aren’t based solely off of emotions. I would not teach one to have no emotions, however, the teaching of limiting extreme emotions such as extreme anger or extreme depression - mainly negative emotions - would be a focal point of my lectures in philosophy. With actions not instantly dictated by emotions, I truly believe that one’s life would be improved significantly.
My lectures would focus on using philosophy to improve one’s life. Through teaching the ideas of the many old philosophers I would encourage others to think logically by breaking down decisions, live a peaceful life through limiting anger, and decrease their strictly emotion-based actions by controlling emotions. Philosophy does not just involve deep thoughts, philosophy is how you wish to live your life.