The Truth About Virtue - 1548 Words

Lillian Hazen Desiring the Truth To wish, to long for, to crave, to want; to desire. It seems as though we go through our whole lives wanting what we know will make us feel more whole, more of ourselves; more of who we are. And whether what we want is seen as bad or good, we still have that desire. It’s in our nature. It is simply what we want. And acquiring the object of one’s desire makes one feel whole. It’s true. Socrates said it best; â€Å"all men desire good things† (Plato 77C). What lead him to that conclusion? In his debate with Meno, Socrates and Meno attempted to define virtue. In Meno’s third definition of virtue, he claims that it is â€Å"to desire beautiful things and have the power to secure them† (Plato 77B). Socrates stopped Meno and asked him what he meant by desiring good things; does every man desire what is good? In his attempt to explain his position to Meno, Socrates made a three-premise modus ponens argument that is as follows. The first premise states that either bad can be seen in a good light by the individual committing what others may see as a bad act, or bad can be harmful as described in 78A. With this statement, I agree. The second statement is a little trickier; Harm leads to misery and unhappiness (Plato 78A). And the third premise states that nobody wants to be miserable or unhappy; the opposite of desiring good things (Plato 78A). While I agree with Socrates’ claim that all men desire good things, I disagree with the second premise of saidShow MoreRelatedPlato s Meno And Nietzsche On Truth And Lie1720 Words   |  7 PagesIn Plato’s Meno and in Friedrich Nietzsche’s On Truth And Lie In An Extra-Moral Sense, both writers touch upon the theme of â€Å"truth† and â€Å"knowledge†. In Meno, Plato writes of a dialogue between his late mentor, Socrates and politician Meno. In the Meno dialogue, through a dialectical method, Socrates’s manages to prove to Meno h e knows nothing of virtue while On Truth And Lie In An Extra-Moral Sense, Nietzsche analyzes how language isn’t â€Å"truth† and Knowledge is an invention as a means of survivalRead MoreComparison of Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle and Augustine1464 Words   |  6 PagesPlato Truth and Reality- And isnt it a bad thing to be deceived about the truth, and a good thing to know what the truth is? For I assume that by knowing the truth you mean knowing things as they really are. Truthfulness. He will never willingly tolerate an untruth, but will hate it as much as he loves truth... And is there anything more closely connected with wisdom than truth? (Plato, 380BC) Reason Reason is knowledge of things like mathematics but which require that some postulatesRead MoreWhat Is Philosophy According to Socrates Essay970 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is philosophy according to Socrates? Philosophy is an academic subject that exercises reason and logic in an attempt to understand reality and answer fundamental questions about knowledge, life, morality, virtue, and human nature. The original word for philosophy comes from the ancient Greek word philosopha, which means love of wisdom. Although Socrates himself never claimed to have any answers to the questions he raised, his views and methods of philosophy became the foundations of whatRead MoreComparison of Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle and Augustine1473 Words   |  6 PagesPlato Truth and Reality- And isnt it a bad thing to be deceived about the truth, and a good thing to know what the truth is? For I assume that by knowing the truth you mean knowing things as they really are. Truthfulness. He will never willingly tolerate an untruth, but will hate it as much as he loves truth... And is there anything more closely connected with wisdom than truth? (Plato, 380BC) Reason Reason is knowledge of things like mathematics but which require that some postulatesRead MorePhil 201 Study Guide Lesson 10 Essay864 Words   |  4 Pagesthe study of epistemology and then presents an approach to epistemology that focuses on obtaining the intellectual virtues, a point we will elaborate on in the next lesson. Tasks View and take notes of the presentation, â€Å"What is Knowledge?† * Describe the 3 different ways we use the term know. ACQUAINTANCE, A SKILL, TRUTH CLAIMS (PROPOSITION KNOWLEDGE- MAKES A CLAIM ABOUT REALITY) * Explain the traditional definition of knowledge from Plato. JUSTIFIED TRUE BELIEF---2 options- believeRead MoreNicomachean Ethics1035 Words   |  5 PagesTopic 1: In Book II of the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle defines virtue as â€Å"the mean relative to us.† In separate paragraphs, please describe briefly the basic notion of virtue as a mean, and then explain why he believes that such a mean is relative to us. Provide quotations/examples to support your claims. Include a final paragraph in which you explain your views on this issue of relativity. Be sure to take into consideration the counter-arguments we discussed in class. The mean is relativeRead MorePlato vs. Aristotle: Virtue1656 Words   |  7 Pagesdiffering views on virtue extensively throughout many of their works. Although they agree that virtue is a desirable characteristic that will lead to happiness, the ultimate good, there exists between the two philosophies salient differences. While Plato believes only philosophers are capable of true, inherent virtue, Aristotle believes all men can be virtuous with practice and dedication. GREAT. WAY TO GET TO THE POINT. BE SURE TO MENTION WHETHER OR NOT YOURE ARGUING THAT VIRTUE IS INTRINSICALLYRead MoreDifference Between Socrates And Protagoras927 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"sophist† and â€Å"philosopher† can be used interchangeably, the two professions were, in fact, quite unlike. For one, sophists were often perceived as masters of the art of deception and manipulation. True charlatans of the time, sophists held false beliefs about the world around them, yet they were not hesitant to share their â€Å"knowledge† with others-especially when a hefty sum of money was promised in return. Though their teachings were rarely based on solid evidence, sophists, like Protagoras, gained a ratherRead MoreEssay about Meno and the Socratic Method1413 Words   |  6 Pagesaround a central question: If virtue can be taught, then how? And if not, then how does virtue come to man, either by nature or some other way? Socrates addresses this inquiry by questioning a person who claims to understand the term’s meaning (Platos Meno). The purpose of this essay is to relate the Socratic method performed by Socrates in Plato’s dialogue The Apology, to Meno, by illustrating its effect on the character Meno himself. After questioning Meno about virtue, Socrates comes to the conclusionRead MorePlato s The Apology Of Socrates874 Words   |  4 Pagesbelieved what makes a man worthy of life is that he lives up to what is best in him as a man. Therefore this quote can be better translated as, â€Å"the unexamined life is not a worthy life for a man to live†. Socrates believes a good or worthy man has virtue. Virtue is behavior showing high moral standards such as honor and nobility. An unexamined life is one that does not examine oneself for these characteristics but claims to have wisdom. This unexamined life can be also compared to living your life on