From the “Ring of Gyges,” think about the choices we all make. Do we always act for personal gain? Can we never act towards the greater good? How does the concept of self worth and self dignity apply in both Frankl and your own experience?

The Good Life
Paper details

Paper on The Good Life
Resources

Website icon Paper on The Good Life Scoring Guide.
Website icon Writing Feedback Tool.
Microsoft Word icon Cephalus, pages 11–14.
Microsoft Word icon Ring of Gyges, pages 40–44.
Microsoft Word icon Cave of Ignorance, pages 186–189.
Microsoft Word icon Myth of Er, pages 281–285.
Website icon APA (6th edition) style and formatting.
Website icon Smarthinking.

For your final assignment, you will be writing a paper regarding your interpretation of the “Good Life” and a critical analysis of ethical relativism. Base your interpretation for both requirements on Plato’s The Republic and Victor Frankl’s The Human Search for Meaning.

Prior to writing your paper, review the excerpts from the Republic and The Human Search for Meaning, concentrating on the ethical principles involved. Then, in your paper, write about your understanding of how each of these three stories brings to you the “wealth” of the soul that will allow you to experience the same “Good Life” that Plato and the thinkers mentioned in the class articulated.

Cephalus, pages 11–14.
Ring of Gyges, pages 40–44.
Cave of Ignorance, pages 186–189.
Myth of Er, pages 281–285.
The Human Search for Meaning, page 530 of your Sommers text.

As you prepare to write this paper, consider the following to guide your thinking:

From the “Ring of Gyges,” think about the choices we all make. Do we always act for personal gain? Can we never act towards the greater good? How does the concept of self worth and self dignity apply in both Frankl and your own experience?

The point of the “Cave of Ignorance” is to turn your eyes to a different type of reality: The reality of the sun (The Good) and how it filters down to everything. As an analogy, the sun is the universal good and is what allows us to see and, thus, value all things. What reality do you hold onto as a value? Does a vision of the Good argue for or against an ethical relativism?
The last excerpt from The Republic is the “Myth of Er.” Think about the “soul” of Odysseus and the choice he made. What do you think is the psychological importance of understanding the values of ordinary life and how we live from day to day?
Finally, Victor Frankl’s Logo Therapy is based on finding a meaning in life or understanding how one’s life can be seen within the context of “meaning.” Relate Frankl’s Logo Therapy to the three stories of The Republic and your selection of the ethical thinkers we have discussed.

As you write your paper, you may also think about a universal ethics or an ethics based on relativism and culture and how this distinction has worked in your personal or professional life. Write about your personal journey toward the good life and how it can be obtained. Use Victor Frankl and the conversation of The Republic as a foundation but please provide your personal insights and observations.

Assignment Requirements:

Paper Length: Approximately 950 words.
Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA Formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.
Font and Font Size: Arial, 12-point, double-spaced. Use Microsoft Word.
Number of Resources: Cite a minimum of 3 sources.
SmartThinking Submission: Prior to submitting your paper, submit your work to SmartThinking for feedback from one of their e-structors.