Caroline Machado Ethical Dimensions 31/8/2015 Ancient Greece: Socrates and Plato Socrates was a Greek philosopher born in Athens in the year 469 B.C who did not know how to read or write himself. So, all we know about him comes from Plato. Socrates was known as the wisest men in Athens, but he wanted to find someone as smart as him. He wanted to define the meaning of good, beauty and virtue.…
In this paper I will argue that, based on the text of Philebus, virtue and true pleasures have their locations in the mixed life. Because the truth of pleasures must be measured by reason, and the practice of virtue is constituted of using reason to measure. I will start with defining true pleasures and virtue, and present the seeming incoherence in Socrates’ accounts of their location. In the second section, I will propose an interpretation of Socrates’ words and locate true pleasures and virtue in the mixed life. Finally, I will consider an objection to my interpretation and give my defense.…
Socrates examines the definition of virtue once again and proves to Meno that he has not given him a clear definition of virtue because justice is a part of virtue. Socrates states that instead of Meno defining virtue as a whole he is basically acknowledging that anything done with a part of virtue is…
In the Apology the concept of “pursuer” death and “pursuer” wickedness is introduced after Socrates is handed his sentence in his trial. Socrates associates the “pursuer” wickedness with all the people that voted against him in his trial, along with his accusers. Socrates believes that it is more difficult to outrun the “pursuer” wickedness than it is to outrun the “pursuer” death but, Socrates explicitly states that he would rather be outrun by the pursuer of death, than be outrun by the pursuer of wickedness. In ancient Athens is was almost a custom that any honourable man would rather die than commit evil or dishonourable acts. Socrates’ understanding of virtue is that virtue equals knowledge of what is good and bad.…
Socrates is an avid supporter of self-knowledge, of better understanding yourself and your nature. From this better understanding of self comes an increased knowledge of right and wrong. Socrates’ main concern is acting justly and ethically. Knowledge of what is just and ethical comes from constantly…
In Plato’s dialogue, what virtue is and if virtue can be taught is the topic of discussion by Meno, Socrates and Anytus. The conversation begins with the dissection of what virtue is, a critical first step in order to answer later questions. It is concluded upon that virtue is wisdom and beneficial to us because it leads us to good. Therefore, if virtue helps to guide our soul and wisdom, then it must be knowledge. Knowledge is something that is teachable so it can be deducted that someone has to teach it to the people.…
Plato taught that every person should focus on the virtue that was most necessary for ones position in society. The most noble of virtues was justice to one’s self, or rather justice is to act in a manner that reflects what is inherent in one’s soul. True satisfaction, according to Plato, can be found in preforming the task to which you are most suited, wither it was what you wanted to-do or not. If every citizen were to place the needs of the state above one’s own happiness then as a collective the state and those in it would be conforming to an order that is the…
What is virtue? Virtue can be defined as an act that is learned such as courage, self-dicipline or benevolence but it can also be an act of courage of good character traits that give in good willing acts and the belief of ethical truth (). Now plato believes the soul works through wisdom, moderations, courage and through justice. Ones ethical beliefs are ones souls. How can justice be justified through ones soul?…
Plato’s “Protagoras” is a detailed discussion between Socrates and an acclaimed sophist, Protagoras, concerning what exactly constitutes virtue. Protagoras begins by maintaining that virtue consists of five elements, wisdom, temperance, courage, justice and holiness (24, 329d). Protagoras’s original claim is eventually diluted to say these aspects are interchangeable building blocks of virtue, and that courage alone is unique from all other elements of virtue (46, 349d). Socrates, on the other hand, attempts to argue that virtue is singular in nature and that courage is simply just another synonym for wisdom. In order to prove this argument, Socrates attempts to convince Protagoras of certain premises, which in return, lead to disrupting the foundation of…
Definitions today of virtue go along the lines of possessing the behavior that depicts high moral standards. Plato, one of Socrates’s greatest protégés, created a great piece called Meno. In this work, he follows the conversation between Socrates and Meno, and their discussion on the meaning of virtue. The stories opens up with Meno asking Socrates the meaning of virtue.…
Aristotle explains the concept of virtue has a concept that can be cultivated through habits. He clearly states that virtue does not come from some predetermine system in each human being, but instead an empty void that gets filled over time. He argues his understanding of a virtue of character as a medial condition between vices, which means there is a balance between two parts of a spectrum. Aristotle uses examples such as a person deciding to be harpist or a builder. He states that the person does is not born with those abilities, but instead cultivates them through repetition also known as habits.…
Aristotle compares virtue to craft. People become virtuous in the same way they become craftsmen—through practice. Virtue originates from virtuous acts but is destroyed by doing unvirtuous acts. Thus, children have to first participate in virtuous acts to be virtuous people as they would have to start playing lyre before they become good or bad musicians. Aristotle says that the act of playing the lyre—or conducting virtuous actions—are analogous.…
It is difficult to overstate the significance of Socrates, the historical figure. In one respect, Socrates can be viewed as the founder of critical thinking, as those who wrote about his life depicted Socrates questioning individuals’ presuppositions. German political philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel takes this reverence of Socrates a step further, crediting Socrates not only with the advent of critical thinking, but also with the revelation of “subjective consciousness”. According to Hegel, before Socrates the prevailing political and religious institutions that governed individuals’ every day lives went largely unexamined and implicitly accepted. However, after Socrates took to the streets of Athens questioning the origins and validity…
Every philosopher has diverse ideas and beliefs, yet Plato’s rational ideologies, thought process, and reason speak the loudest to me and correlate with my beliefs. The philosopher, Plato, lived in Athens and died in 428-347 B.C. Plato lived as one of Socrates pupils and wrote the words of Socrates after his death. Before his death, Socrates was Plato’s role model and influenced Plato’s ideologies and outlook on life. Plato’s passions and ideas aspired from the relationship between the soul and the physical body and the flow of nature; these passions drove Plato to start his own school called the Academy. Similarly, he took interest in correlation of the eternal and immutable in nature, society, and morals.…
Virtue Ethics is neither deontological nor teleological, it is not concentrated upon the action itself or the consequence. It is agent centred and involves the pursuit of arete, the pursuit of excellence. This is because it is an aretaic ethic, it emphasises virtues (strengths) and vices (weaknesses) of character. The question is not what should I do but what kind of person should I be? “We are not concerned to know what goodness is but how to become good people” told Aristotle who played a part in the development of Virtue Ethics.…