In this article, the author explores the aesthetic harmony of how life should be lived through the unity of exchange between feeling and thinking, and in so doing attempts to show the importance of art or "aesthetics" as a category of philosophical instruction. His interest in this approach flows directly from his works in nineteenth- and twentieth-century French aesthetics, and also from seeing that the strictly philosophical method (metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and logical) tends to be overly abstract and not concrete enough for his students. In the second part of this essay, he and his students observe how life should be lived through the eyes of van Gogh, Socrates, and Nietzsche. Van Gogh is chosen first to make clear the emotional basis of existence and of knowledge itself. Socrates is discussed next to demonstrate the rational aspect of both existence and knowledge. Nietzsche is looked at last to convey the harmony of feeling and thinking, of art and philosophy. The article then discusses the pedagogical implication of this thesis in the context of the cognitive function of art. The article concludes with some general remarks with respect to the importance of teaching introduction to philosophy through art or "aesthetics". The object here is clear and simple: to let the students become aware of the "aesthetic" aspect of their environment, and to let them begin to see that philosophy is, at base, an emotional response to life's way, for which people seek valid reasons. (Contains 14 notes.)