Journal 3

1. The key idea of this section that stands out to me seems to be Aristotles teachings. His concept of the "real goods" that we all need, part of the human condition, including "bodily goods, external goods or wealth, and goods of the soul." These are part of his way to happiness for all men, which also includes the amount of these goods we obtain, and our developement of moral character. I especially like this aspect because it is a good reminder of Thomas Jefferson's letters, and training our moral character, and highlights Aristotle's own idea that integrity is important. How can Aristotle make the generalization that his path can lead to happiness for all men? He uses "Natural Law," which concerns itself with the basic needs of all human beings, and in "virtue ethics," which if one controls, they are in control of their real goods. Some of the virtues mentioned include courage, temperence, justice, and prudence. Finally, I think that this is important because we can apply it to our own lives. We often make the mistake that is so hard to avoid. We search for happiness in the wrong places. In using Aristotle teachings, coupled with examening our lives, we can lead a more complete and happy life. 2. Three important ideas that I would like to remember (besides Aristotle) include "Three kinds of knowledge," "Five Steps to Critical Thinking," and "The Process of Reasoning." The three different kinds of knowledge are experience, authority, and reason. Our "experiential knowledge" comes from encounters we have in our own lives, and from personal, first hand experience. It is perveived through our five senses, and in my mind, is the one that seems closest to us, and easiest for us to comprehend. Authority is another way to obtain knowledge, but we are often less open to this since it comes from our peers and elders, and we are often reluctant to admit that we are wrong. We are not open to revising our maps. The third kind of knowledge is reason. It is often hard to have trust in these fact we deduce since we do not know them for certain. We use our other previous knowledge to derive what we don't know. Second, are the "Five Steps to Critical Thinking." These include "knowing the facts, the principal of contradiction, defining your terms, being intellectually humble, and looking for different perspectives. In short, you should know what you are talking about, be aware of contradicting yourself, stating what you're discussing and not avoiding it, being open to revising your maps when others are right and you know it, and be open to seeing things a different way. Finally, is "The Process of Reasoning," which involves perceiving, categorizing, and evaluating. First one has to understand what they are seeing, and then "combine like terms" (in a sense), and finally, making your decision based on what you have gathered. 3. Images.

"Mind in Motion"

Plato and Aristotle

4. One good question: Do I possess the "real goods?" If not, how can I work to achieve them? 5. To make myself a better person from this study, I will probably keep the "Five Common Thinking Errors" in mind. In doing so, I can hopefully avoid jumping to conclusions, pre-judging people, and being open to their point of view.