Socratic Ethics Essay - 2636 Words

Ethics is defined as the branch of philosophy with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions. Socrates discusses this many times in his teachings, specifically in the readings, Euthyphro, the Apology, the Crito and the Phaedo. Socrates’ main question was â€Å"What is the good life?† and his pursuit was to find out how to live this â€Å"good life†. Socrates’ pursuit of the â€Å"good life† helped him to identify knowledge with virtue. He equated knowledge with good or virtue and ignorance with bad or evil. Since no one would knowingly harm themselves, if harm came to a person, then that person must have acted in†¦show more content†¦Therefore he must believe in gods because he is teaching about new gods, and then accuses Meletus of contradicting himself. With these arguments, Socrates believes he has proved th e accusations brought against him are false and that he has proven his innocence. Socrates also shows us about ethics while discussing death in the Apology. His main point is that people should not fear death, that it may actually be fantastic. He says that death is not something he knows is bad, but that going against god is bad. Since he is convinced that his is a divine mission, he knows it would be bad to go against god but doesn’t know if death is bad, so he chooses what he knows, which is not philosophizing is going against god and therefore it’s bad. Socrates is trying to build a stronger Athens by showing people how to examine their lives and help lead them to live the â€Å"good life†. He is trying to show them that it is wrong to strive for material things like money and power, but to strive for self-examination and the pursuit of the â€Å"good life†. Meletus offers to let Socrates go if he promises to stop philosophizing, but Socrates de clines because he knows that it is the right thing to do and he is determined to show his fellow Athenians that they are ignorant to things that will lead them to the â€Å"good life†. He said that even facing a hundred deaths, he wouldn’t stop philosophizing because he feels it is that important to show people the â€Å"good life†. He says that fromShow MoreRelatedBiography of Socrates, An Annotated Bibliography1581 Words   |  6 Pageswith the proper tone and style. Kenneth C. Blanchard, Jr. â€Å"The Enemies of Socrates: Piety and Sophism in the Socratic Drama.† The Review of Politics. 62.3 (2003): 421-449. Print. Blanchard, is a professor political science professor at Northern State University. He is also the author of many author book and articles. In his article, â€Å"The Enemies of Socrates: Piety and Sophism in the Socratic Drama,† he portrays the collision between the philosopher and his fellow citizens is the central dramatic eventRead MoreMr.Jlgibson1096 Words   |  5 Pagesrom J.L.Gibson 09Sept14 To: Intro to Philosophy. Essay 1 What am I doing in this class? And how if at all. Do I think studying philosophy might benefit me. An introduction to Western Philosophy by Donald Palmer. I will attempt to answer three basic questions with this essay. What is Philosophy, What are the origins of Philosophy and why am I studying Philosophy today. Therefore my main reasonRead MoreAnalysis Of Nineteen Eighty Four By George Orwell1687 Words   |  7 Pagesarranged in a small circle with an outer circle, for this purpose, the class was participating in a Socratic circle. In a more student-based activity for the class period, Ms. Coppola allowed the students a decent amount of control over the discussions’ directions. The students had a â€Å"Do Now† question when they first walked into the door before the Socratic circles began. This was a text based Socratic circle, using the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. One group went first in the inner circleRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli1681 Words   |  7 Pagesacademic recog nizing the false equivalence between Socrates’ philosophy and Machiavelli’s political ethics. The strategy to conduct any sort of liable and valid analysis is not to wholly ignore the â€Å"political† part of the system but to evaluate the ethics behind the systems. The goal of this essay will be to compare and evaluate the Machiavellian ideological government, through the lens of Socratic philosophy. Despite living in similar situations of strife, Socrates and Machiavelli reacted almostRead MorePhilosophy C100 Quiz 121572 Words   |  7 PagesThe area of philosophy concerned with values includes    | Ethics |    | Aesthetics |    | Social/political philosophy |   X | All of the above |    | None of the above | 5.    Trying to argue that God exists because it says so in the Bible and the Bible is the word of God is an example of the fallacy of:    | Argumentum ad hominem | X   | Begging the question |    | Straw man |    | Appeal to emotion | 6.   The pre-Socratics were primarily interested in the study of Epistemology.   Read MoreSocrates Vs Machiavelli Essay875 Words   |  4 PagesSocrates’ philosophy and Machiavelli’s political ethics. The strategy to conduct any sort of liable and valid analysis is not to wholly ignore the â€Å"political† part of the system but to evaluate the ethics behind the systems. The goal of this essay will be to compare and evaluate the Machiavellian ideological government, through the lens of Socratic philosophy. Despite living in similar situationsRead MoreSocrates And Niccolo Machiavelli1735 Words   |  7 PagesEssay 1: Socrates and Machiavelli Although Socrates and Niccolo Machiavelli lived in different time periods, the political climate that their philosophies were founded on were very similar. The trial of Socrates began after the Peloponnesian War when the new Spartan Tyranny took over the Athenian government. Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth and disrespecting the gods by the Spartan government. In the eyes of the Spartan government Socrates is a gadfly because of his posing of upsettingRead MoreSocrates : An Essay On Morality, Misdeeds, And A Martyr1226 Words   |  5 PagesSocrates: An Essay on Morality, Misdeeds, and a Martyr Few names in history have withstood the test of time, remaining currently studied and discussed to the point of familiarity. Socrates is one such unique name. A man of ethics and reason, Socrates would change history forever, creating a love of reason and knowledge unestablished by his predecessors. Despite the admiration and respect Socrates found in most Athenian circles, his revolutionary methods and inquisitive mind would eventually be hisRead More The Area of Knowledge of Ethics Essay1092 Words   |  5 PagesIt is human nature to describe and seek to transform the world. Without a desire to describe and understand the world in which one lives in, we would not desire to transform the world and advance society. The following essay will use Ethics and History as two Areas of Knowledge to disprove the above claim. By describing the world we live in, we make judgements about what is beneficial and what is not in our society. Consequently, we seek to change the world we live in to suit our needs. A newRead MorePlato’s Euthyphro829 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Plato’s Euthyphro Pamela Gaither PHI208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning Instructor: Constance Dolecki 10/14/13 In the Euthyphro, Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the concept of piety/holiness. This essay will not only test my ability to recognize and engage philosophical concepts and analysis, but also brings me into the dialogue as a participant, asking me to create my own definition of holiness. I explain how the concept of holiness emerges in the dialogue and why it takes a prominent