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Platos Ethics

Plato's ethical theory is based on his theory of forms. He believes there is an intelligible world of unchanging forms, including the form of the good. The good is the ultimate source of all reality, truth, and goodness. Morality depends on knowing the good and living in conformity with it. This knowledge of the good, which Plato calls understanding, is necessary to become virtuous. The virtues like wisdom, courage, and justice depend on properly ordering the parts of the soul - reason, spirit, and appetite - with reason controlling the other parts. Doing good improves one's soul while doing evil harms it. Therefore, it is always better to act virtuously and suffer injustice than commit injustice, as the

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112 views3 pages

Platos Ethics

Plato's ethical theory is based on his theory of forms. He believes there is an intelligible world of unchanging forms, including the form of the good. The good is the ultimate source of all reality, truth, and goodness. Morality depends on knowing the good and living in conformity with it. This knowledge of the good, which Plato calls understanding, is necessary to become virtuous. The virtues like wisdom, courage, and justice depend on properly ordering the parts of the soul - reason, spirit, and appetite - with reason controlling the other parts. Doing good improves one's soul while doing evil harms it. Therefore, it is always better to act virtuously and suffer injustice than commit injustice, as the

Uploaded by

mmonaco
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Platonic ethics ---SPA ---Forms ---visible world (changes) vs.

intelligible world (unchanging) ---hierarchy of forms: ---mathematical objects ---ideas ---the ood ---ultimate source of all reality! truth! " goodness ---#oral com$onent: ---the good life is lived by %nowing the ood and living in conformity to it ---morality de$ends! ultimately! on &'()*+, + of the ood ---more s$ecifically! )-S,(# (%nowing the ood and discriminating between it and a$$earances) ---)-S,(# alone allows us to be virtuous .-/01+ 2 moral 3ualities of $ersons ree% virtues 2 wisdom! tem$erance! justice! courage! and $iety 'otice that being virtuous does not guarantee that we will e4$erience $leasure and avoid $ain. -n fact! Plato was fiercely o$$osed to the theory that $leasure2good and $ain2evil (5+,('-S#) /efutes this view by showing that some $leasures are bad in the long run! and some $ains good (overeating! e4ercising6dentist) -t is not the $ain6$leasure resulting from our actions that ma%es them right or wrong. 7ut there other 8results8 of our actions which are im$ortant. ood deeds im$rove our character or 8souls8 7ad deeds ma%e our characters worse (e.g. Acting unjustly ma%es us unjust) So why be good9 )hy $ursue virtue9 A: -t im$roves us (benefits us) -- ma%es us more e4cellent! and conse3uently ha$$y 7eing bad ma%es us worse (injures us) So! misdeeds are always committed out of - '(/A':+ )e thin% a deed is to our benefit when it really is not

51#A' 'A01/+ Psyche divided: /eason .S A$$etite .S S$irit /eason is our rational $art which see%s the ood ,esire is irrational! and see%s $leasure S$irit is emotional drives! see%ing success (ambition) :hariot model: A$$etite and S$irit are the horses ($roviding #(0-.+ force) /eason is the driver (choosing the course! controlling the two horses) 0he virtuous $erson is li%e a good charioteer: controls a$$etite and s$irit with reason. .irtues in relation to the divided $syche )isdom 2 reason is effective driver 0em$erance 2 reason is controlling a$$etites :ourage 2 reason is controlling s$irit ;ustice 2 all three $arts in harmony -f virtue is thus a %ind of balance and harmony in the soul! it becomes clear why doing good 2 benefiting us and doing evil 2 harming us. .ice 2 disease of the soul< virtue 2 health of soul 0hus! Socrates famously said: -t is better to suffer injustice than to commit injustice. Suffering injustice at the hands of others harms our bodies but not our souls< doing injustice harms the soul. Forms! again. ---%nowledge is virtue. &nowledge of what9 0he 5ow do we come to %now the ood9 ---using reason ---hence Plato=s advocacy of 8$hiloso$her %ings8 Problems: ---0heory of the forms ood.

---0he good is ineffable (cannot be described in words). So what if two $eo$le claim that their visions of the ood are different9 5ow do we resolve conflicts9 (Plato would deny that differing images of the ood could be had>but then how do we %now it is right one9) ---5ow do you %now the ood is objective9 (Plato: it is rational< all humans can rationally understand a circle< li%ewise the ood< objective li%e mathematics) ---,escri$tion of the $syche (soul) -- material or not9 (nly three $arts9 5ow does Plato %now this9 ---? " @ -- $roblems with Plato=s $olitics< not really im$ortant for us

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