Phil 1000- FInal Exam/Semester Paper

Through the study of philosophy, many civic engagements arise. One of the civic

engagements that I first thought of was volunteering. Studies have shown the effects on

volunteers when they choose to provide service. The effects are almost always positive

on the participant and can help one self-reflect on their own lives. This reminds me so

much of Socrates and what he spent his life preaching about. I know when I volunteer it

is like a reality check on my life because it helps me to realize what I am grateful for.

Whether that is volunteering for the homeless shelter or seniors, both helped me to

increase my thankfulness for life itself. Socrates believed in constantly stepping outside

of oneself to help determine what is needed to reach their idea of happiness and truth.

For many people, volunteering can be this for them because it can help them see the

different types of people in this world. It could also make the volunteer more open-

minded to people and their different situations.

From being exposed to different types of people, individuals can come outside

their bubble and realize that they have more in common with someone they did not

expect. Once the common ground is found, a sense of community can be established

as well. An article I read suggested that “The practice of philosophy is a process

benefiting the whole of society. It helps to build bridges between peoples and

cultures....,” (“Philosophy Can Benefit Society, Aid Search for Peace and Development –

UN Official”). When we feel like we are a part of a community we are more likely to do

activities that involve the community to promote its quality.

 Philosophy involves asking questions to find solutions or different truths. It

teaches us to be curious about our surroundings and to question everything and

everyone. This can help us when we are deciding to vote as we would be more likely to

do our research to make our decisions. And let’s say if you were an active participant in

the community, you can also choose what candidate will best benefit your city, state, or

country.

Another civic engagement that arises from the study of philosophy is being a part

of different community groups such as a community garden or a book club. With those

two groups, they both could individuals improve their relationships with others in their

neighborhood and community. For community gardens, they can help food quality as

they do not have to travel the many miles that some kinds of food do. With each group,

it can also help individuals learn from each other and take pride in their community. It

could also yield good dietary habits for habits and encourage them to eat well. By

building this sense of community, it can lower crime rates and even economic

opportunities.

Participating in a community garden can be an effect from studying philosophy

as it could be one's idea of improving their quality of life. It can teach the participator

humility by learning to take care of a fragile item and even learning to take care of that.

From this consciousness can be improved as we are thinking about elements outside of
yourself and the whole picture. Instead we are looking outside ourselves to capture

what the actual picture is and how we as humans contribute to that.

Similar to the positive effects of volunteering, joining your local community

groups do the same. There are studies that show it can also improve one’s mental

health and self esteem. These all have the common ground of one’s need to continue

learning which is many what philosophers wished everyone would do.

Aristotle was one of the philosophers that came to mind when I thought of

civic engagements. Throughout our readings of him, we find that he taught about the

search for a “good life”. The book explains that, “Aristotle argued that in order to

understand something, it is necessary to identify its function or purpose”(Soccio). I find

this to be very valuable when it comes to the civic engagements we discussed earlier

and even ones not mentioned. Similar to community gardening, it deals with learning

about plants or vegetables in order to take care of it and yield the best results possible.

By understanding it, we can take the best course of action when caring for it.

Another view of Aristotles that can be applied to civic engagements is the idea

that “... although various kinds of souls are different enough that no single definition of

soul can cover them all, they are similar enough that we can still recognize a common

nature in all their varieties” (Soccio). I can imagine him using this belief when deciding

to volunteer or even participating in a community group. The reason being that although

there may be different people joining these groups, the great thing is that we can come
together for a better cause. I believe this is what Aristotle was trying to explain, is that

we may come from different walks of life but that is okay. And if we work together,

something magical such as friendship can come from being open-minded.

To me, he seemed to be a realist as he believed that Happiness can be found by

making the most of your situations at this very moment. So, I would assume he would

want to participate in every kind of civic engagement because they all have to do with

promoting a quality of life. I imagine he would want to be a part of collecting and

donating to food banks or joining a neighborhood watch because these all have to do

with taking advantage of all the different situations now. I think this also deals with his

views on Eudaimonia because it has to do with an overflowing life. Participating in these

community groups can make for a full life as Aristotle described. He thought that taking

part in society was what civic engagement was all about.

Socrates was another philosopher I mentioned earlier I think would participate in

the different civic engagements. My initial thought was voting and his thoughts on

voting. I can see him encouraging people to vote because he was all about questioning

those in authority. He would be the one to ask those crucial questions of whether we

want a certain political figure in office and if we don’t then we need to do something

about it.

Socrates also taught about standing up for your own truth. This can be applied to

activism or advocacy such as peaceful protests and petitioning the government. He was
a true example of dying for something he believed in which shows how much he

advocated for one’s own truth. I believe he would think activism would come from his

philosophy because it dealt with heightening public consciousness. He, himself was

trying to bring awareness about finding one’s truth so this would be all too familiar.

Even with how he handled his whole trial and execution with no defense because

he felt so strongly about his beliefs. This can be applied to civil disobedience and those

involved such as Martin Luther King. He was very peaceful about his protests and even

got arrested for them but he did not physically fight back. He even references Socrates

in some of his letters because of his teachings on questioning. He never used violence

to make people agree with them but instead used non-violent approaches which is

exactly what Socrates did too. He never wanted to push people to agree with his beliefs

but rather start thinking deeper. Once we start thinking deeper it can be a catalyst to

what we decide to do with our new found truths.

This reminded me of the philosophy of Existentialism because it has to do with

“choice, freedom, identity, alienation, inauthenticity, despair…”(Soccio). Specifically, the

beliefs of Soren Kirkegaard and his definitions of inauthenticity which “ results when

the nature and needs of an individual are ignored, denied, obscured, or made less

important than institutions, abstractions, or groups” (Soccio).

Much like Socrates, I see peaceful protests arising from his philosophy because

he too preached about asking questions to find the truth beneath ourselves and the
groups and systems surrounding us. When we disagree with a group or feel that we are

being inauthentic according to his definition then we must do something about it. Which

I think is where peaceful protests may come in and voting. He always asked the

question of “How am I to exist”. All of these civic engagements have to do with making

a choice to do something that helps you to become more authentic. I think overall his

beliefs were just about finding the answers to the everyday choices we are presented

with.

References:

“Philosophy Can Benefit Society, Aid Search for Peace and Development – UN

Official.” UN News, 17 Nov. 2011, news.un.org/en/story/2011/11/395212-philosophy-

can-benefit-society-aid-search-peace-and-development-un-official#:~:text=

%E2%80%9CThe%20practice%20of%20philosophy%20is%20a%20process

%20benefiting. Accessed 13 Dec. 2020.

 Soccio, Douglas J. Archetypes of Wisdom : An Introduction to Philosophy.

Boston, Ma, Cengage Learning, 2016.

Socrates encouraged others to go against the grain

- Being able to talk and disagree