Euthyphro

In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the existence of a “higher good” is argued, as he assists his claim with the idea that every action in life is the means to an end. Each individual feat is not desired for its own intrinsic value, but for the sake of some other action it may bring upon. Due to this, Aristotle emphasizes the futility of each individual action, focusing on the greater motive above them all: the highest good. This theory of a greatest good is implicitly common, though proving its…

1. Explain Mill’s Harm Principle. Say what it is, and whether you think it’s a good principle for governments to follow. Use examples. Harm Principle- The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm from others. This is not a good principle to follow because this is only stating how we should prevent harm from others. This principle does not say anything about harm to oneself, for example, suicide. 2.…

Philosophy For The State In the Apology of Socrates and Republic, it is argued that philosophy is beneficial for the state. Advantageous can be considered an outcome that is profitable. A state is an area controlled by a ruler. Therefore, the question is whether philosophy is a reasonable method of ruling an area and in what ways. Taking the side of Socrates and his student Plato, I will show that philosophy is profitable for the state in the following ways with a focus on civilian’s behaviour:…

Wise and humble to his admirers and self-righteous heretic to his critics, Socrates was a polarizing figure who made it his mission to understand what justice truly was and what it meant to live a just life. Socrates was a willing to engage with nearly anyone about these philosophical questions, however too often these discussions would lead to inconclusive answers. In the Republic, an account of Socrates written by one of his own followers known as Plato, Socrates finally offers an answer to…

My thesis is that Socrates does not present good arguments. In Socrates’ argument that piety is dependent on the gods, Socrates uses a series of analogies that are relatable to piety. Socrates describes the physical state of carrying or leading objects and that to be carried or led, they must have been put into that state by something carrying them. Thus, the things being carried are in a state of being carried and since piety is a mental state, it is parallel to the state of being carried.…

Theory is that it is impossible to determine whether or not god actually exists, and if he does exist, does he command humanity at all. (Shafer-Landau) Another flaw in Devine command theory is explained by Shafer-Landau thru his description of The Euthyphro Argument. He summarizes the argument by saying that god may or may not have reasons for his moral code. If god has reasons for his moral code, than those reasons are what make actions moral or immoral, which disproves Divine Command Theory.…

In chapter 4 of James Rachels and Stuart Rachels book, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, the authors examine the philosophical question whether morality depends on religion. They noted that in popular thinking, morality and religion are inseparable and that people generally accept that morality can be understood only in the framework of religion. On the other hand, from the perspective of the atheist or non religious people, the world is full of evil and in total chaos. Furthermore, the concept…

Ethics is the philosophical study of morality. In other words, it is the study of what is wrong and right, good or bad. Humanity has been intrigued with the answer to these subject matters for hundreds of years. In that time there have been several philosophers such as Aristotle who have formulated moral theories like Virtue ethics. Not all of these theories are put in practice today but they do help in the solving of moral issues. One such experiment which has been brought about by the…

view of the Divine Command Theory in which Addams has modified to answer certain controversial issues. The main controversy being towards the theory’s implications of ethical wrongness and the different situations it can be applied. In Plato’s, Euthyphro, the controversy can be seen through the statement, “… nor the pious the same as the god-loved,” (70). This argument presents questions of what applies towards someone’s beliefs in God. Furthermore, the original theory, according to Addams,…

morals is that a higher power (God(s)) determine our objective moral laws. This theory lacks evidence that scientific experiments and observations can provide for the biological and cultural explanations because it is largely faith based. Also the euthyphro problem validly points out how there is the question of whether God commands things because they are good or if things are good because God commands them. The former is a problem because that would mean that good exists independent of God…