What Does It Mean To Live The Good Life

What is â€Å"the good life†? This is one of the oldest philosophical questions. It has been posed in different ways—How should one live? What does it mean to â€Å"live well†?—but these are really just the same question. After all, everyone wants to live well, and no-one wants â€Å"the bad life.† But the question isn’t as simple as it sounds. Philosophers specialize in unpacking hidden complexities, and the concept of the good life is one of those that needs quite a bit of unpacking. The Moral Life One basic way we use the word â€Å"good† is to express moral approval. So when we say someone is living well or that they have lived a good life, we may simply mean that they are a good person, someone who is courageous, honest, trustworthy, kind, selfless, generous, helpful, loyal, principled, and so on. They possess and practice many of the most important virtues. And they don’t spend all their time merely pursuing their own pleasure; they devote a certain amount of time to activities that benefit others, perhaps through their engagement with family and friends, or through their work, or through various voluntary activities. This moral conception of the good life has had plenty of champions. Socrates and Plato both gave absolute priority to being a virtuous person over all other supposedly good things such as pleasure, wealth, or power. In Plato’s dialogue Gorgias, Socrates takes this position to an extreme. He argues that it is much better to suffer wrong than to do it; that a good man who has his eyes gouged out and is tortured to death is more fortunate than a corrupt person who has used wealth and power dishonorably. In his masterpiece, the Republic, Plato develops this argument in greater detail. The morally good person, he claims, enjoys a sort of inner harmony, whereas the wicked person, no matter how rich and powerful he may be or how many pleasure he enjoys, is disharmonious, fundamentally at odds with himself and the world. It is worth noting, though, that in both the Gorgias and the Republic, Plato bolsters his argument with a speculative account of an afterlife in which virtuous people are rewarded and wicked people are punished. Many religions also conceive of the good life in moral terms as a life lived according to God’s laws. A person who lives this way, obeying the commandments and performing the proper rituals, is pious. And in most religions, such piety will be rewarded. Obviously, many people do not receive their reward in this life. But devout believers are confident that their piety will not be in vain. Christian martyrs went singing to their deaths confident that they would soon be in heaven. Hindus expect that the law of karma will ensure that their good deeds and intentions will be rewarded, while evil actions and desires will be punished, either in this life or in future lives. The Life of Pleasure The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus was one of the first to declare, bluntly, that what makes life worth living is that we can experience pleasure. Pleasure is enjoyable, it’s fun, it’s...well...pleasant! The view that pleasure is the good, or, to put I another way, that pleasure is what makes life worth living, is known as hedonism. The word â€Å"hedonist,† when applied to a person, has slightly negative connotations. It suggests that they are devoted to what some have called the â€Å"lower† pleasures such as sex, food, drink, and sensual indulgence in general. Epicurus was thought by some of his contemporaries to be advocating and practicing this sort of lifestyle, and even today an â€Å"epicure† is someone who is especially appreciative of food and drink. But this is a misrepresentation of Epicureanism. Epicurus certainly praised all kinds of pleasures. But he didn’t advocate that we lose ourselves in sensual debauchery for various reasons: Doing so will probably reduce our pleasures in the long run since over-indulgence tends to cause health problems and limit the range of pleasure we enjoy.The so-called â€Å"higher† pleasures such as friendship and study are at least as important as â€Å"pleasures of the flesh.The good life has to be virtuous. Although Epicurus disagreed with Plato about the value of pleasure, he fully agreed with him on this point. Today, this hedonistic conception of the good life is arguably dominant in Western culture. Even in everyday speech, if we say someone is â€Å"living the good life,† we probably mean that they enjoying lots of recreational pleasures: good food, good wine, skiing, scuba diving, lounging by the pool in the sun with a cocktail and a beautiful partner. What is key to this hedonistic conception of the good life is that it emphasizes subjective experiences. On this view, to describe a person as â€Å"happy† means that they â€Å"feel good,† and a happy life is one that contains many â€Å"feel good† experiences. The Fulfilled Life If Socrates emphasizes virtue and Epicurus emphasizes pleasure, another great Greek thinker, Aristotle, views the good life in a more comprehensive way. According to Aristotle, we all want to be happy. We value many things because they are a means to other things: for instance, we value money because it enables us to buy things we want; we value leisure because it gives us time to pursue our interests. But happiness is something we value not as a means to some other end but for its own sake. It has intrinsic value rather than instrumental value. So for Aristotle, the good life is a happy life. But what does that mean? Today, many people automatically think of happiness in subjectivist terms: to them, a person is happy if they are enjoying a positive state of mind, and their life is happy if this is true for them most of the time. There is a problem with this way of thinking about happiness in this way, though. Imagine a powerful sadist who spends much of his time gratifying cruel desires. Or imagine a pot-smoking, beer-guzzling couch potato who does nothing but sit around all day watching old TV shows and playing video games. These people may have plenty of pleasurable subjective experiences. But should we really describe them as â€Å"living well†? Aristotle would certainly say no. He agrees with Socrates that to live the good life one must be a morally good person. And he agrees with Epicurus that a happy life will involve many and varied pleasurable experiences. We can’t really say someone is living the good life if they are often miserable or constantly suffering. But Aristotle’s idea of what it means to live well is objectivist rather than subjectivist. It isn’t just a matter of how a person feels inside, although that does matter. It’s also important that certain objective conditions be satisfied. For instance: Virtue: They must be morally virtuous.Health: They should enjoy good health and reasonably long life.Prosperity: They should be comfortably off (for Aristotle this meant affluent enough so that they don’t need to work for a living doing something that they would not freely choose to do.)Friendship: They must have good friends. According to Aristotle human beings are innately social; so the good life can’t be that of a hermit, a recluse, or a misanthrope.Respect: They should enjoy the respect of others. Aristotle doesn’t think that fame or glory is necessary; in fact, a craving for fame can lead people astray, just as the desire for excessive wealth can. But ideally, a person’s qualities and achievements will be recognized by others.Luck: They need good luck. This is an example of Aristotle’s common sense. Any life can be rendered unhappy by tragic loss or misfortune.Engagement: They must exercise their uniquely human abilities and capacities. This i s why the couch potato is not living well, even if they report that they are content. Aristotle argues that what separates human beings from the other animals is the human reason. So the good life is one in which a person cultivates and exercises their rational faculties by, for instance, engaging in scientific inquiry, philosophical discussion, artistic creation, or legislation. Were he alive today he might well include some forms of technological innovation. If at the end of your life you can check all these boxes then you could reasonably claim to have lived well, to have achieved the good life. Of course, the great majority of people today do not belong to the leisure class as Aristotle did. They have to work for a living. But it’s still true that we think the ideal circumstance is to be doing for a living what you would choose to do anyway. So people who are able to pursue their calling are generally regarded as extremely fortunate. The Meaningful Life Recent research shows that people who have children are not necessarily happier than people who don’t have children. Indeed, during the child-raising years, and especially when children have turned into teenagers, parents typically have lower levels of happiness and higher levels of stress. But even though having children may not make people happier, it does seem to give them the sense that their lives are more meaningful. For many people, the well-being of their family, especially their children and grandchildren, is the main source of meaning in life. This outlook goes back a very long way. In ancient times, the definition of good fortune was to have lots of children who do well for themselves. But obviously, there can be other sources of meaning in a person’s life. They may, for instance, pursue a particular kind of work with great dedication: e.g. scientific research, artistic creation, or scholarship. They may devote themselves to a cause: e.g. fighting against racism; protecting the environment. Or they may be thoroughly immersed in and engaged with some particular community: e.g. a church; a soccer team; a school. The Finished Life The Greeks had a saying: Call no man happy until he’s dead. There is wisdom in this. In fact, one might want to amend it to: Call no man happy until he’s long dead. For sometimes a person can appear to live a fine life, and be able to check all the boxes—virtue, prosperity, friendship, respect, meaning, etc.—yet eventually be revealed as something other than what we thought they were. A good example of this Jimmy Saville, the British TV personality who was much admired in his lifetime but who, after he died, was exposed as a serial sexual predator. Cases like this bring out the great advantage of an objectivist rather than a subjectivist notion of what it means to live well. Jimmy Saville may have enjoyed his life. But surely, we would not want to say that he lived the good life. A truly good life is one that is both enviable and admirable in all or most of the ways outlined above.

Cbt Therapy - 5297 Words

CBT to Treat Generalized Anxiety Cognitive Therapy (CT) or Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) was pioneered by Dr. Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, while he was a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Before being hired for this job he had practiced psychoanalysis elsewhere and became interested in advancing the field. While at the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Beck designed and carried out several experiments to test psychoanalytic concepts that delta with depression. Through this research Dr. Beck was hoping to validate the fundamental concepts associated with psychoanalytic therapy, during his studies he was surprised to find the opposite. Instead of validating his previous studies he founded the concept of†¦show more content†¦Cognition can involve anything dealing with judging, conceiving, reasoning and remembering. Cognition can be anything that one think. In cognitive therapy these are usually negative thoughts. These thoughts are usually what therapy sessions are centered around Beck identified six different types of faulty thinking: 1. ARBITRARY INFERENCE - Drawing conclusions about oneself or the world without sufficient and relevant information. 2. SELECTIVE ABSTRACTION - Drawing conclusion from very isolated details and events without considering the larger context or picture. 3. OVERGENERALIZATION - Holding extreme beliefs on the basis of a single incident and applying it to a different or dissimilar and inappropriate situation. 4. MAGNIFICATION AND EXAGGERATION - The process of overestimating the significance of negative events. 5. PERSONALIZATION - Relating external events to one another when no objective basis for such a connection is apparent. 6. POLARIZED THINKING - An all-or-nothing, good or bad, and either-or approach to viewing the world. therapy sessions can be done individually,with a group of people, and more recently popular with a self-help book or computer program ( individual and group therapy are more widely known forms of therapy however with the fast pace and technology savvy world we live in today self-help and computer based programs are growing in popularity, self-help booksShow MoreRelatedCognitive Behavior Therapy ( Cbt ) Essay1174 Words   |  5 PagesCognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is now growing within today’s society. It is very popular as it is efficient with known to have long lasting treatments for with many individuals who suffer from psychological problems. However, there has been some parsimony and empiricism within in CBT, it aims to be parsimonious. CBT is a short intensive course. The course of the treatment mostly lasts 30-60 minutes long with 5-20 sessions. Just when you are set tling into the treatment and becoming comfortableRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy ( Cbt )2001 Words   |  9 PagesINTRODUCTION Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is ubiquitous and a proven approach to treatment for a host of diverse psychological difficulties (Wedding Corsini, 2014). There are copious of acceptable created experiments that show to be highly useful in treating anxiety disorders through GAD Generalized Anxiety Disorder approach (Fawn Spiegler, 2008). The purpose of this assignment is to expound on the client’s demography and demonstrating concern. The first procedure in this assignment willRead MoreCognitive Behavior Therapy ( Cbt )857 Words   |  4 Pagescombination of cognitive therapy with behavioral therapy to form CBT (Hansen, 2008). Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) was developed by Aaron Beck in 1967 (field, Beeson, Jones, 2015). 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(web citation) CBT is a goal oriented therapeutic approach which allows the individual in therapy to identify troubling situations or conditions in their life; allows the individual to become awareRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy ( Cbt ) Essay935 Words   |  4 PagesCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic approach that is based on a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy. CBT focuses on how a person’s distorted thought process and inaccurate belief system influences their mood and behaviors. Once it can be identified, the blended therapy aims to change a person’s thinking to be more adaptive and healthy, which will lead to change unhealthy behavior patterns (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015). This type of psychotherapy has beenRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy ( Cbt )1257 Words   |  6 PagesCognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short-term, empirically valid amalgamation of facets from cognitive and behavior therapies. Cognitive-behaviorists believe that psychological problems stem from maladaptivity in both thought and behavior patterns, whether self-taught or learned from others. Therefore, changes have to take place in both thoughts and actions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is structured as collaboration between client and therapist, focusing on the present. A prominent aspect of CBT is the client’sRead MoreCognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)1559 Words   |  7 PagesAssumptions and Definition Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) addresses dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors, and cognitive processes. This is an effective treatment for patients who are dealing with anxiety and depression. CBT refers to a group of psychotherapies that incorporate techniques from cognitive therapy and behavior therapy. Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck are the two psychologists who came up with therapies. Beck developed the cognitive therapy (CT) that focuses on changing the client’sRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy ( Cbt )1480 Words   |  6 PagesCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach was used for this case conceptualization that consists of a pre-initial evaluation of client M and six weeks of individual therapy sessions using CBT therapy and the Beck Depression Inventory has the domain of counseling theory. Within the behaviorist strand of counseling theory, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been successfully used to treat mild depression. In this case study, the client has mild depression; which is one of the most multi-problemRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy ( Cbt ) Essay1036 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short-term and goal-oriented approach, which is increasingly popular in both the research field and the practical field. It has become the psychotherapy investigated most extensively due to its wildly application to various disorders and mental problems (Butler, Chapman, Forman, Beck, 2006). One salient advantage of CBT is its flexibility. It is adaptable to different age groups and various cultural backgrounds in both individual and group settingRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy ( Cbt )1134 Words   |  5 Pagesneed help. There are different ways to help with PTSD, but the most effective treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is the most effective treatment option for veterans because it focuses on committing the mind on present day and future events, relieves the mind of the traumatic events, and has been proven to help with a variety of mental illnesses. The therapist helping with CBT will attempt to help understand and change the effects and how to think about the trauma. He or she will help

Case Study Law free essay sample

Determine whether the following employees are within the scope of the Employment Act, the Sabah Labour Ordinance or the Sarawak Labour Ordinance. For each employee, explain their rights in the situations described. a) Janet is a HR Executive earning RM1,800 per month. She is 8 months pregnant and has been on sick leave for most of the last 2 months. The company wants her to start her maternity leave immediately. Mimi is a Production Executive earning RM5,000 per month. She is now 5 months pregnant and the company has persuaded her to take 42 days instead of 60 days of maternity leave. (10 marks) Answer: Janet income for every month is RM 1,800, thus, according to First Schedule; she is covered by the Employment Act because her wages do not exceed RM 2,000 per month. Besides that, referring to Section 37 (1), every female employee shall be entitled to maternity leave for a period of not less than 60 days in respect of each confinement. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Study Law or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Under this section also, there is a need to take a leave if a medical officer or the registered medical practitioner unable to perform her duties satisfactorily. The employee may be required to commence her maternity leave at any time during a period of 14 days preceding the date of her confinement as determined by medical officer or the registered medical practitioner. Next, under this section, there is also stated an employee shall not commence earlier than a period of 30 days immediately preceding the confinement of a female employee or later than the day immediately following her confinement. According to Section 60F, if Janet has been working for less than 2 years, she is entitled to get 14 days leave, 18 days if has been employed for 2 years and not more than 5 years, and 22 days for more than 5 years of service. 60 days if hospitalization is necessary, as may be certified by registered medical practitioner or medical officer. Thus, after 60 days have been used, it will be considered as unpaid leave. In conclusion, Janet has been on sick leave for most of 2 months, her employer may ask her to commerce the maternity leave 14 days before the confinement upon certified by registered medical practitioner or Janet may take the maternity leave prior to actual confinement for up to maximum 30 days before her due date. For the Mimi’s case, referring to Section 44A stated that the whole part on maternity protection is applicable to every female employee engaged under a contract of service irrespective of wages. According to First Schedule, she is not covered under the Employment Act because her wages exceed to RM 2,000 but under Section 69B, the powers of the Director General under section 69(1)(a) shall extend to employees whose wages per month exceed RM 1,500 but does not exceed RM 5,000 and the complaints must be on cash entitlement written in employment contract. Referring to Section 37(1), a female em ployee shall be entitled to maternity leave for a period of not less 60 consecutive days in respect of each confinement and entitled to receive from her employer a maternity allowance to be calculated. A female employee, who does not satisfy for maternity allowance, she may with the consent of employer, commence work at any time during the eligible period if she has been certified fit to resume work by a registered medical practitioner. Therefore, if Mimi is willing and fulfilled the condition to resume work by registered medical practitioner, she may take the 42 days instead of 60 days of maternity leave as requested by her company. b) Sulaiman is a driver with TZ Company Sdn Bhd. He was on annual leave on 12 13 June. 4 15 were Public Holidays. 16 was Sunday. On 17 18, the local bomoh gave him a sick certificate after treating him for the hallucinations that he had been having. When he came to work on the 19 June, the Personnel Manager said â€Å"you have self-terminated your employment†. (10 marks) Answer: Referring to First Schedule of Employment Act 1955, Sulaiman is covered by the Act because he is working as driver and engaged in the operation of any mechanically propelled vehicle operated for the transport of passengers or goods. According to Section 59, Sulaiman is entitled for rest day of 1 day in a week the or in the case of an employee engaged in shift work any continuous period of not less than 30 hours shall constitute a rest day. Thus, if Sulaiman’s rest day fall on Sunday, he is entitled to absent from work. For annual leave can be used under Section 60D where Sulaiman is entitled for paid annual leave upon working 12 month of service and depending on the length of service. days for employment period less than 2 years, 12 days for employment period more than 2 years but less than 5 years and 16 days for employment period of more than 5 years. According to Section 60F, Sulaiman is entitled to get sick leave depending on the length of employment period. 14 day for employment period less than 2 years, 18 days for employment period more than 2 years but less than 5 years and 22 days for employment period of more than 5 years. To be entitled to paid sick leave, employee should get the certified si ck by a registered medical practitioner. In this case, the local bomoh is not certified medical practitioner, therefore, Sulaiman’s sick certificate is invalid. In conclusion, according to Section 15, an employee shall be deemed to have broken his contract of service with the employer if he has been continuously absent from work form more than 2 consecutive days without prior leave from his employer, unless has reasonable excuse for such absence and has informed or attempted to inform his employer. The Personnel Manager said that Sulaiman had self-terminated his own employment can be refer under this section. Furthermore, Sulaiman do not submit valid sick certificate, thus he may state his excuse to the company for not being well to carrying out his duty on that day. QUESTION 2 a) List two (2) major employment laws. (5 marks) There are a number of employment laws in Malaysia such as Employment Act 1955 and Industrial Relations Act 1967. The Employment Act 1955 protect workers from exploitation and provides the minimum terms and conditions of services for employees that stated in the First schedule. This act is applicable to West Malaysia only. The Industrial Relations Act 1967 provide for the regulation of the relations between employers and workmen and their unions as well as laying down rules to help prevent and settle disputes between the two parties, thus ensuring peaceful industrial relations as far as possible. This act is applicable to whole country. b) Discuss the purpose of each law and the department in the Ministry of Human Resources responsible for enforcing each of these laws. (10 marks) Employment Act 1955 Employment Act 1955 is the most important legislation with regard to employment in Malaysia. It provides benefits for these workers covered by the Act. It has been established and given certain rights or benefits for both employer and employees. The purposes of Employment Act 1955 are to establish for certain rights or benefits for both employers and employees and to provide a minimum benefits for these workers covered by act. The Department of Labor in Peninsular Malaysia is responsible to ensuring all employers comply with the acts requirements. Among the functions carried out by this department are carries out impactions and prosecutes employers when necessary, advises an employer on government policies and their implementation on the workplace. Furthermore, the department of labor also investigates claims of unfair labor practices make the decision on an employee’ claims. On the other hand, the department of labor also responsible to answer the queries on employment acts and also assists in solving the problem. Industrial Relations Act 1967 The purpose of Industrial Relations Act 1967 is to provide for the regulation of the relations between employers and workmen and their trade unions. This act emphasizes on direct negotiation between employers and workmen or employees and their trade unions to settle their differences and to regulate their collective relationship and to settle any dispute arising therefrom though their own effort and through mutually agreed procedures with minimal government intervention. Under the Industrial Relation Act 1967, the legitimate rights of employers and workmen or employees and their trade are protected. This act also provides the procedure relating to submissions of claims for recognition and scope and representation of trade union and collective bargaining. The Department of Industrial Relations Malaysia is responsible in enforcing law in Industrial Relations Act 1967. The objectives are the promotion and maintenance of positive and harmonious relations between employers and employees and their respective trade union and organization. The function of Department of Industrial Relations Malaysia is to coordinate communication between the organizations of employers and workers’ organizations to promote and preserve the tripartite relationship between the government, employers and workers in the field of industrial relations. Providing advice to employers and employees to promote well and practices healthy industrial relations.   Discuss the differences between ‘contract of service’ and ‘contract for service’. 5 marks) According to section 2, contract of service is any agreement whether oral or in writing and whether express and implied, whereby one person agreed to employ another as an employee and that other agrees to serve his employer as an employee and includes an apprenticeship contract. In contract of service, there are relationship between employee and employer such as wages, hours of work, conditions of the service and other conditions that employees should serve to the em ployer. Contract for service is a contract between principal and contractor to carry out the whole or any part of any work undertaken by the principal in the course of or for the purposes of the principal’s trade or business. Contract for services refers to a person who provides his services to his clients. There is no employer and employee relationship. The person is usually self-employed or may provide his or her services on a freelance basis at a fee. b) Differentiate, with examples, express and implied terms in employment contracts. (10 marks) Employment contracts should be drafted in such a way that they are as clear and possible. The terms are the contents of the contract or the promises made by each party to the other. A contract of employment does not have to be in writing. The employment contracts must be carefully drafted that fulfill the certain criteria such as must compliant with the law, written in a language the employee can understand and includes all the necessary terms and conditions. There are two types of the terms in employment contract which are in express terms and implied terms. The express terms of a contract are usually found in letters of appointment, company handbook and collective agreement. Express term is a contract in which the terms of the employment are stated in words either agreed oral or written. According to section 10, a contract of service for a specified period of time exceeding one month shall be in writing. The requirement that need to be in an express terms of contract are job title, wages, holiday and leave entitlement and other terms that compliant to the employment law. The example of express terms is the employee should give termination notice to the employer according to the terms and conditions that are stated in offer letter or any agreed oral between the two parties. Another example is the employer should give the holiday entitlement or annual entitlement according mutual agreement between the employee and employer and any stated in offer letter and also company books. If a worker has no written letter of appointment, it does not mean that no contract of employment exists between him and his employer. It is call implied terms in employment contracts. These are not expressly or explicitly stated because in the main they are fairly obvious to both parties to the contract of employment. Implied terms include statutory rights, such as the right to equal pay and duties such as duty of care. Implied terms means the duties and obligation of both parties are not expressed but are implied by their acts or conducts. Both indicate by their conduct that they have a mutual agreement and need not express the agreement in words. The employer and employee have a duty of care towards each other and other employees. This means, for instance, that the employer should provide a safe working environment for the employee and the employee should use machinery safely. An employee has a duty to obey any reasonable instructions given by the employer. For example, a lorry driver should not be told to drive an uninsured or untaxed vehicle. There is no legal definition of reasonable, but it would not be reasonable to tell an employee to do something unlawful.