In class during a lecture we were discussing about everything that we do aims to philosophy. So we discussed about the active versus contemplative life. Things that fall under an active life are: doing/applying something, political activity, and phronesis (practical wisdom). Living in a contemplative life we understand, practice philosophy, and gain sophia (contemplating the forms or theoretical wisdom) (pg. 685 -686). In my previous blog I was wondering why moral virtues isn’t happiness. Aquinas believed that moral virtues are ordered to something else. Moral virtues make emotions in the right order so you can do philosophy. So that means we use practical application (action) to understand the truth (contemplation) (pg.278-80). But in our society we generally don’t see it that way. Even Plato did not see it that way. In our society we contemplate and then take action.
(We all should remember this sketch)
Aquinas believed: Action ----------->Contemplation
Plato believed: Action<---------------Contemplation
I actually saw it both ways, but Aquinas says it can’t be both ways because one has to be the end (aim or purpose). An interesting topic came about in class where a pupil questioned Aquinas belief on why the arrow pointed this way ------->. She said if that’s true, then that means a doctor is supposed to act (practice medicine) and then understand medicine (fundamental knowledge that one achieves by going to medical school). That seems bizarre to me that a doctor would act before understanding what he/she is doing. I don’t think anybody would trust doctors to perform surgeries at all if that were the case. And I also thought generally doctors practice medicine (contemplation) to become doctors to save lives (action). My dream is to become a doctor just to help save lives and also to understand the human body. That’s why I thought the arrow could go both ways <----->, like its in equilibrium. This topic made me think about the tv show House (by the way I really love this show, it is one of my personal favorites). Dr. House I believe sees the arrow going the way Aquinas sees it. Gregory House, M.D., is a fictional character played by actor Hugh Laurie. House is a medical genius and a diagnostician and specializes in infectious diseases and nephrology. He works as the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey, where he heads a team of diagnosticians. House's character is seen as a cynical, misanthropical, narcissist. His team and anybody who knows him calls him an “ass”. House flaunts his vast knowledge around and always wants to prove that he’s right. His friend and colleague James Wilson M.D., says that some doctors have the “Messiah complex” (feeling like they need to save lives or save the world), but House has the “Rubik’s complex” (he needs to solve the puzzle). House always wants to try crazy treatments just to prove that he’s right. He even disregards patients’ feelings or consent just to find out why a certain disease is causing the patient to die. Not because they are dying, but just because he wants to understand and to know the truth. I remember an episode on the show called “house training” where one of his colleagues Eric Foreman M.D., misdiagnosed a patient and ended up causing her death. House wanted to give her an aspiration while the patient was suffering and dying. He didn’t care that the patient was dying; he wanted to do a procedure on an already dying patient and didn’t want to wait until she died to do the aspiration to find out the cause of her falling ill. He needed to know so badly what the team missed and what the big mystery of her fatal illness was. But Dr. Foreman made him wait until she was dead. Dr. House even wanted to inject a patient with Hepatitis A to prove that his theory is right and will cure a patient that had some other infectious disease. He comes up with crazy ideas that are usually right and usually performs these actions and cures patients. These actions helps to reaffirm what he knows and also that he’s right.
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