Six Questions of Socrates

Christopher Phillips portrayed to me, that virtue is a perpetual search for overall excellence with some key virtues that make up ‘virtue’ that will help you, or that a virtuous person would live out.  In his actions and feelings to be so moved to start his own philosophical gatherings and discussions showed his thought of how important it is to continuously question ourselves along with our society how we can live more virtuously.  In a way I do feel that I agree with his message but I personally feel that virtue can overlap or be closely related to religion.  I feel that Phillips did not bring religion directly into virtue because of all the different types of views and religions described in his book.  But for me, being a Christian, but not a ‘hard core’ one, I feel that God would be a better example of someone of true virtue, rather than Socrates.  Although Socrates’ idea of philosophical discussions was very virtuous, I think God would be a better example because God in a somewhat unexplainably clear way, is the most virtuous one can ever be, he is what we would attempt to measure ourselves to.  To me virtue, or being virtuous is being the highest level of moral excellence, while at the same time finding and questioning ways to always become better. It’s a never-ending quest where you may be content, but not for long.  I don’t really have any time that sticks out to me at the moment where I have witnessed a virtuous act but for me.  But for now, knowing that God is there for me and is always blessing me and others, seem very virtuous, which makes me want to try to become more virtuous.

Phillips idea of moderation with the help of his influences finds moderation something in the middle of two extremes, but in order for you to know where the median is, you must first know your limits of those two extremes.  I feel that you must be mature and have a  clear mind or understanding of when it’s appropriate to live moderately and when to live immoderately.  When you live too moderately, I think, you’re not really living moderately.  You must first find your limits of things to know how to live moderately, but things that are good, like ways to become more virtuous should not be carried out with the conservative view of living in moderation.  A really obvious example of when moderation is essential to life is the amount of obese people in America, or other non third world countries.  Many of these over weight and obese individuals do not know how to practice moderation, whether you’re talking about the types of food they consume, or the amount of foods they consume.  For many of these people, food is their comfort for something that stresses them, they need to find a different way other than eating to relieve and cope with the stresses.   But when the cause is for good, like becoming more virtuous and improving ones’ self, I think there can be no limit when you know right from wrong as long as the long-term result ends in a personal and/or collaborative gain.  An example of this good cause is when you’re practicing for something as a group.  I’ve had to practice with my friends various quartet music so that we may perform well in the concert, but I felt that there was no limit of how much we should/could practice because it was making us better not only to have the ability to play our song, but to be able to work with others to achieve the same goal.  Another important thing is to have the same feeling and desire for this same goal or else there will always be someone that is not always putting out their full effort.