From ancient time, the question of “a Self” has been the major concern in philosophical thought. Philosophers and political figure, clergy and common people have tries to answer the questions “Who am I?”, “What is a Self?” and “What factors make the life good or bad?”. Still, there is no single opinion about the good life. Every epoch creates its own values and moral rules changing our understanding about a self and the good life.
Every philosopher and philosophical school has developed a unique interpretation of “a self” and “the good life” supporting their arguments by values and laws of their historical epoch.
Socrates, Robert Bellah, Cornell West, Martin Luther King, Jr., G.W.F. Hegel, Frantz Fanon, and Charles Taylor are those who made a great contribution into the theory of “a self” and explaining the elements of “the good life”. Their interpretations of “a Self” and “the good life” have much in common, although all of them are unique philosophical ideas that reflect the spirit of their times.
For Socrates (470-399 BC) the good life should question everything. It is a life full of doubt and of self-awareness. His philosophy can be describes as a critical thoughtfulness which has a great influence on his world interpretation. The good life is the life of a lively and inquisitive mind. Probably, the most important and well know Socrates statement is that “Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued”. Socrates says about “a self”: “For who is there but you? who not only claim to be a good man and a gentleman, for many are this, and yet have not the power of making others good. Whereas you are not only good yourself, but also the cause of goodness in others”. To summerize, people happiness is caused by doing what is right, and only when a person can reach the state of true utility he achieves happiness, an the good life. All actions of people are aimed toward the positive, and purpose is in nature.
Martin Luther King represents a completely different era of the 1950s in America. For him, the good life and a concept of “self” means the good will and equal rights between “blacks and whites”. He promulgated his vision of the good life in the speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. His famous expression shows that the good life is when “all men are created equal”. Martin Luther King hopes that American citizens, “whites” and “blacks”, will be equal in their rights and that racial minorities will be equally treated by majority. For Martin Luther King, the good life is absence of segregation and racial inequalities, rights of “black” for education and social programs. So, the good life is connected with liberty while “a self” means equal right and opportunities, free choice and absence of discrimination in the state…
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