Michaela Curry

Honors Philosophy
Mr. Turtola
January 24, 2012
My Life, My Philosophy
Each person is unique; we all have different ideas and opinions, we all practice different
beliefs. Our ideas about life are based on our perception, the way we see the world. So it is only
natural that each individual follows their own slightly modified philosophy. My life, my
surroundings, my morals- these are what help to shape my personal philosophy.
I believe ones surroundings play a crucial part in the way one learns to interact and
function in the world. Your family is the one who raises you, instilling their values upon you;
they are the ones who teach you right from wrong. As a child you are only aware of what the
adults in your life tell you, you begin to make choices around what they believe is best. But as
you grow and obtain knowledge you become more informed, you are able to think for yourself
and begin to make more of your own decisions. I think those values taught to you as a child are
always there, but you now have the choice to abide by them or to create your own belief system.
I still have most of my life ahead of me; I have not had the time to truly live out my own
philosophy yet. To be honest, before taking this philosophy class my senior year I really never
even questioned my ideas much at all. I would occasionally question the way things were but
would never really take the time to dive into them, finding my own answers. But now this course
has helped me to do just that. Talking in class about the big questions in life from Solomons
book has made me stop and think about the world around me. With help from the works of
philosophers such as Plato and Socrates, I have been starting to come up with my own ideas on

topics such as reality. I plan on following my philosophy in the future by remaining open to
listening to others ideas on topics, but staying true to what I believe if that is what I find to be
most accurate.
Socrates was a man who believed in himself. I think it is very important to have faith in
yourself. "He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights
against the enemy" (Socrates). When questioned about your beliefs you should be able to have
the confidence to defend what you think is right. If you are not willing to stand up for what you
believe in, then maybe you are not truly a believer.
In 399BC an Athenian jury found Socrates guilty of corrupting the youth and interfering
with the religion of the city. Socrates was condemned to drink hemlock, a poison that ended the
philosophers life (Kemerling). I think that was very noble of Socrates; he could have ran away,
hiding from his punishment, but instead he manned up and took responsibility for his actions.
This man did not believe his ideas were wrong, but he knew he had gone against the rules of the
city and he was willing to pay for breaking the laws.
In Platos Apology Socrates is to have said,
"Throughout my life, in any public activity I may have engaged in, I am the same man as I am in
private life" (Socrates).
(Miller, 38)
I believe this is how one should live their life- in honesty. I do not think people should put on a
fake face or pretend to be something they are not. You should be yourself and express your own
thoughts so this way people actually like the real you, not someone you are merely pretending to
be.
Plato was Socrates student; he learned from the philosopher and took down much of his
work. Plato examined the idea of reality and perception. How do we know what is real? Who is
to say that my reality is not totally different from your own? I really like Platos cave allegory,

when I learned about this last year in AP Euro it really made me think. How do we know what is
real if we only see the world through our own eyes. For those men chained in the cave their
reality was shadows, shadows became real life to them. How can we be sure that our life is real,
how do we know what is a dream? I believe that everyones reality is slightly different, based on
their experiences and the way they interpret the world. I also think the people one surrounds
themselves with, their environment effects the way they think. The old saying "You are who your
friends are" holds true. The beliefs of the people you are constantly with begin to rub off on you,
if you do not stop to think about what you personally believe is right, it can be easy to get carried
away and become just one of the pack. "People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and
help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die" (Plato).
We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less (Diogenes). I
believe this is an important concept; people are so eager to tell others what they think that
sometimes they forget to listen to anothers point of view. In order to learn and become a
knowledgeable human being, one must listen to others. One can learn a lot from another persons
ideas, even if they do not think in the same way as you. Hearing a different opinion may open
your eyes to a new idea, or sometimes simply help to strengthen your own thoughts.
Diogenes was known as "the Dog." When asked why he was called this he answered "I
fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals"
(Miller, 78).
This man believed in keeping life simple. He would not use a cup to drink water, for his hands
could just as well perform the task. Diogenes was an outspoken man who did not care what
others thought of him. He lived his life the way he saw fit and could care less if society accepted
him. I think that it is good to express yourself without care, to an extent. A lot of people care too
much about what others will think of them to freely express their ideas, but I would not go as far
as acting like an animal to get my point across to others.

I am still learning and creating my own philosophy. By researching philosophers

thoughts and creating my own opinions on lifes big questions I am beginning to make my
philosophy which I plan to follow in the future. I think it is going to take time to actually be able
to live my philosophy, like Socrates and Diogenes did, but I have my whole life ahead of me and
plan on taking my own path based on my beliefs.

Work Cited
"Diogenes Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.

<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/diogenes.html>.
Miller, James. Examined Lives. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2011.
"Plato Quotes." Find the Famous Quotes You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 23
Jan. 2012. <http://thinkexist.com/quotes/plato/>.
"Socrates." Philosophy Pages. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/socr.htm>.
"Socrates Quotes - Page 3 - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 23 Jan.
2012. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/socrates_3.html>.