I have always enjoyed studying philosophy. All of the philosophers dared to question the status-quo. They dared to step outside of the box of conventionality and THINK objectively and independently. This is something that is sorely lacking in the United States of America. If it was not for the great philosophers throughout history, people would still think the World was flat, people would still think that the Earth was the center of the Universe, etc.
I believe ETHICS should be a manditory subject for ALL U.S. grade school, middle school and high school students. Children around the world are deliberately being denied this knowledge so they can easily be controlled by unscrupulous people. Children around the world won't even be able to recognize that they are being misused. The power elite around the world don't want children to question their actions. The power elite are molding minds starting with our youth to fall in line. Enough with this knowledge should only be taught to the children of the power elite. The power elite have grossly mis-used this knowledge as we are now witnessing unethical behavior in non-profit charitable organizations, corporations and at every level of our U.S. government and governments around the world! It should be noted that our U.S. Founding Fathers studied most of the great philosophers work and implemented their teachings into our U.S. Constitution and our Declaration of Independence. The following is from Wikipedia:
Socrates
Socrates was one of the first Greek philosophers to encourage both scholars and the common citizen to turn their attention from the outside world to the condition of man. Knowledge having a bearing on human life was placed highest, all other knowledge being secondary.
Self-knowledge was considered necessary for success and inherently an essential good. A self-aware person will act completely within their capabilities to their pinnacle, while an ignorant person will flounder and encounter difficulty. To Socrates, a person must become aware of every fact (and its context) relevant to his existence, if he wishes to attain self-knowledge.
He posited that people will naturally do what is good, if they know what is right. Evil or bad actions, are the result of ignorance. If a criminal were truly aware of the mental and spiritual consequences of his actions, he would neither commit nor even consider committing them. Any person who knows what is truly right will automatically do it, according to Socrates. While he equated knowledge with virtue, he similarly equated virtue with happiness. The truly wise man will know what is right, do what is good and therefore be happy.
Aristotle
Aristotle posited an ethical system that may be termed "self-realizationism". When a person acts in accordance with their nature and realizes their full potential, they will do good and be content. At birth, a baby is not a person, but a potential person.
In order to become a "real" person, the child's inherent potential must be realized. Unhappiness and frustration are caused by the unrealized potential of a person, leading to failed goals and a poor life. Aristotle said, "Nature does nothing in vain." Therefore, it is imperative for persons to act in accordance with their nature and develop their latent talents, in order to be content and complete.
Happiness was held to be the ultimate goal. All other things, such as civic life or wealth, are merely means to the end. Self-realization, the awareness of one's nature and the development of one's talents, is the surest path to happiness.
Aristotle asserted that man had three natures: vegetable (physical), animal (emotional) and rational (mental). Physical nature can be assuaged through exercise and care, emotional nature through indulgence of instinct and urges, and mental through human reason and developed potential.
Rational development was considered the most important, as essential to philosophical self-awareness and as uniquely human. Moderation was encouraged, with the extremes seen as degraded and immoral. For example, courage is the moderate virtue between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. Man should not simply live, but live well with conduct governed by moderate virtue. This is regarded as difficult, as virtue denotes doing the right thing, to the right person, at the right time, to the proper extent, in the correct fashion, for the right reason
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