My Own Constitution

There have been two basic trains of thought that have been constant throughout this unit. The first opinion is that morals hold you back, complicate life and shouldn't be based on what others thing. Philosophers such as Nietzsche, Hume, and Camus are seminal to this philosophy. It is true that in a personal sense, you would be more free to do as you please without any regard for those around you, thus progressing your personal growth and wealth of experience, but many will find it difficult to completely detach from the lives of others. Humans are essentially pack animals. We care for one another at our roots. The other opinion has similar problems. This is the opinion that you should abide by the morals set by your community and society and always do what is best for the whole: utilitarianism. This idea is stressed by the extensive works of Bentham. While our personal growth would not burgeon as strongly as it would in the former opinion, a group mentality serves to keep humans focused and on task. If we were to completely buy in to a personal philosophy that stresses disregard for others, we would be so caught up in what we wanted to do that nothing would ever get done to benefit society as a whole. 

I have to say that my personal believes are a mix. Perhaps 60-40 in favor of the former. It is very important to develop at a personal level and strive to achieve what is good for you. This thinking paired with a curiosity that is not easily quenched leads me to favor a philosophy that promotes self-growth without restriction outside of yourself. I do believe that acting for the good of the group is important, though, because there would not be as much advancement in the world otherwise. The lifestyle that I am choosing to lead after high school, one of traveling around the world, supports this type of selfish thinking, making it easier to functionally apply it to my life.