In Unit 2, you learned about the origins of philosophy from regions across the world. From Ancient Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, and Carthage to Greece, Rome, and the Americas, the drive to make sense of our presence in this world is a universal endeavor.  In this assignment, you will review the components of the philosophies presented in this unit, including China’s Three Pillars, the Socratic philosophers (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle), and the Americas (Tribal, Mayan, Aztec, etc.), and create your own ‘Life Philosophy.’ ­­

A life philosophy can be simple such as ‘live and let live’ or ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ It can be a paragraph or multiple paragraphs, whatever you need to present the core philosophy you live by or want to live by. You can adapt a philosophy (live and let live) and make it your own (live in peace and the children will thrive) or create something completely new that connects to your home or work life in a direct way.

Organization:Present:

your philosophy

Explain:

the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ your life philosophy will in the future (or does now) work in your life and provide an example (this can be from a single phrase to multiple paragraphs).

Examine:

how your philosophy connects to as many of the regional philosophies presented in the unit as possible, keeping in mind that the more links you can connect to Taoism or Socrates or the Mayans or Stoicism or any other expression of philosophy covered in the unit, the more universal the philosophy becomes (one or more paragraphs).

Share:

how others can put this philosophy into practice in their own lives (one or more paragraphs).

Reflect:

on the creation of your first artifact for the Humanities. Explore why it is important to have a personal philosophy to maintain life balance (one or more paragraphs).

Format

For this assignment, you have several options. If you would like to use Powerpoint to include images or pictures of yourself or your life, aim for a title slide, the 5 body slides stated above, and a reference slide if needed. (More body slides are always welcome.)

You can also use MS Word for a textual presentation by aiming for a well-developed paragraph of 5 – 8 sentences for all content except the actual philosophy, which can be shorter. Note that your MS word document must include several images or pictures that illustrate your written statements.

You can use YouTube and make a recorded Life Philosophy with or without a Powerpoint presentation. Please see the assignment tutorials available here for help creating the video.

Estimated time to complete:  3-4 hours