Morals can be very helpful and lesson teaching.
Have you ever heard your parents or friends say things like “never give up”, “treat others how you want to be treated”, and more? Well, if you have, you should follow them! Here are some of the great gods, and goddesses that wished they listened to their peers: In the greek mythology story Daedalus and Icarus, Daedalus told Icarus to not fly too close to the sun, but Icarus didn’t listen and ended up burning to death. If Icarus listened to Daedalus and didn’t fly off to the sun to prove himself, then he would have been alive then. Another example of a moral in a greek mythology story is Phaethon by Bernard Evslin. Phaethon wanted to prove to Epaphus that his
Throughout the dialogue between Euthyphro and Socrates, they both try to come up with an understanding of the relationship between piety and justice. Within the discussion, Socrates questions Euthyphro to see if he can define the difference and similarities between justice and piety, and if they interact with each other. Eventually, Euthyphro and Socrates came up with the conclusion that justice is a part of piety. This is the relationship that I agree most with because in my own opinion, I believe that all of the gods and people agree that human beings who commit unjust actions need to be punished for their actions.
Having morals shape how an individual comprehends and believes, but it is sometimes hard to decide between what is right and what is law. "Zeus did not announce those laws to me. And justice living with the gods below sent no such laws for men. I did not think anything which you proclaimed strong enough to let a mortal override the gods and their unwritten and unchanging laws" (Sophocles lines 508-513). Antigone confronts Creon about how the laws made by man are only temporary, but the laws of the gods are everlasting. "I arranged your corpse and at the grave mound poured out libations. But now,
Morality is likely the most debated topic of all time, especially in regards to our moral responsibility for each other. Throughout history many writers and philosophers have taken different angles the concept of morality and have applied it in many ways. This includes: Niccolò Machiavelli with The Prince (we will be looking at The Qualities of the Prince) and Plato with The Republic (we will be looking at the section The Allegory of the Cave. The Prince (1513) essentially lays out a how-to guide of how to obtain power and how to keep it; The Qualities of the Prince contains a list of qualities that one should appear to have while in power; this work will be used to represent the case against moral responsibility for others. The Republic
I contend that Plato 's theories on morality are persuaded by concerns he had about moral theory. Specifically, Plato rejects rationality as the boost of subjectively evaluated self-interest because, had he received such an account, his hypothesis of justice would be liable to reactions which he holds are lethal to the contractarian theory of justice. While detailing a hypothesis to stay inside ethical constraints in some cases disregards the groups of scientific theorizing, Plato maintains to avoid this mistake.
Have faith. Be generous. Make sacrifices. These are only a few morals of the thousands of years old tales from the Greeks. We are told the stories of Odysseus, Hercules, and many others throughout school, but for what reason? The world has changed since then, so why read and study an epic poem of a man, exhausted from his service in a ten year Trojan War on his long sail home while being attacked by the all powerful gods from more than two thousand years ago? The answer lies in the morals and can be seen in modern interpretations and parallels of these age old stories.
Throughout history, various ideologies and approaches to life have held the ability to impact society as a whole. This notion is evident in various civilizations of the Ancient World, one of which being among the Ancient Greeks. At the time, certain Poleis had been known for an area where they excelled. For example, while Sparta was notorious for its military prowess, Athens was recognized for its emphasis on the importance of wisdom, scholastics, and the overall enlightenment of its people. In order for one to fully comprehend the rich culture of those who inhabited Greece at the time, it is important to focus on pivotal components, such as the role of philosophy and sophistry among the citizens of these Poleis.
“Every man ought to share in this sort of virtue, and the states could not exist if this were otherwise,” the sophist Protagoras informs Socrates in Protagoras (Plato, 31). Ancient Greek culture focused on the discussion of virtuous character for hundreds of years. Philosophical questions like: “What does it mean to be good?” raised the topic of virtues or morally beneficial traits. Although many were discussed and debated, there are three virtues that proved to be the most essential in Greek culture.
In the Republic of Plato, the philosopher Socrates lays out his notion of the good, and draws the conclusion that virtue must be attained before one can be good. For Socrates there are two kinds of virtue; collective and individual. Collective virtue is virtue as whole, or the virtues of the city. Individual virtue pertains to the individual himself, and concerns the acts that the individual does, and concerns the individual’s soul. For Socrates, the relationship between individual and collective virtue is that they are the same, as the virtues of the collective parallel those of the Individual. This conclusion can be reached as both the city and the soul deal with the four main virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice.
The play ‘Euthyphro’ by Plato, discusses about the moral debate between Euthyphro and Socrates on their theories and opinions on the pious and the impious, based on the actions that the Gods would decide and judge upon.
Each generation is raised with different morals and ethics, and ideas that were once valued become obsolete while other new ideas come to light. The Odyssey, written by Homer, is a collection of stories that were only told orally until Homer wrote them down in the 8th Century. It continues to be a classic greek text taught in classrooms to this day. Homer wrote about a character named Odysseus’ epic journey of taking ten years to get back to his home, after he got out of prison for ten years. The themes that occur throughout the story reflect the characters morals and ethics in the time period and world that they live in. Reading this piece of literature in our current 21st century can convey completely different
In Ancient Greece, a greek author by the name of Sophocles had created a Tragic Drama. This Tragic Drama was about a girl named Antigone, who lost her two brothers to conflict for the throne. Antigone was unable to bury her brothers because the new elected king, Creon believes that one of Antigone’s brother, Polynices was a traitor to his people. Yet, Antigone defies Creon and did what she thought was morally right for her brothers.
In The Elements of Moral Philosophy, James Rachels writes about The Divine Command Theory. The Divine Command Theory is a set of rules in which God created that Christians, Jews, and Muslims must follow. Humans, however, are free agents and have a choice of what to do. If humans choose to live as they should, then they must follow the rules set in place by God; He is the one who decides what is right and what is wrong. This theory however has some major flaws.
This chapter focuses on what morality is. Socrates defines it as “how we out to live” and why. However, there are many rival theories against the Socrates’ idea. In fact, it is hard to define morality. So in this chapter, the authors utilize three real examples which are about handicapped children: baby Theresa, conjoined twin Jodie and Many, and Tracy Latimer.
Aristotle asserted that what has been grasped by the mind cannot be changed. Hence, once habits aimed at developing a morally upright individual have been inculcated, they can never be changed. However, an individual chooses what to grasp through reasoning. Aristotle viewed the intellectual ability as the ability to distinguish false from true, rather than bad from good. Human desires are more as a result of simple compulsion hence once cannot choose what to and what not to desire. However, subjecting the desires through reasoning, an individual can visualize the possible consequences of the realization of the desires that is when they can choose whether or not to peruse the desires. Therefore, he asserted that individuals must grasp the desired
People cannot control where they are born, the color of their skin, or who their parents are. They can control how they conduct themselves and the actions they take. Ethics encompass morality and the principles of right and wrong. In order for society to prosper we need ethical people working together toward a goal of integrity and compassion. Everyone has circumstances in their lives that they can and cannot control and knowing that is the key to living in harmony with themselves and others.