Socrates, Aristotle, St. Augustine, And Immanuel Kant

From this, he deduced that “those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable" (Plato 25). Now, to achieve this society in which being wrong is accepted would require man to graciously accept the bespoken of one’s wrongs by another. This should occur naturally, because as Socrates recognizes, someone pointing out somebody’s wrong is the equivalent to that person saving him or her. On the contrary, a wrong may not be wrong merely due to someone saying that such is the case. Often, something will be viewed as wrong for being different from what is standard. Aside from all of this, Socrates believed in highlighting justness rather than ever focusing on being right or being wrong. Knowing that wisdom and being right are worthless is the somewhat paradoxical product of wisdom. Being right should not be glorifying.

The additional position in which Socrates resides, is that of the good man. As he elaborates himself, a good man is one who acts justly and keeps the good interest of others, as well as himself, always in mind (Plato). So a good man acts according to this mindset, acting justly in his treatment towards others, but also in his treatment of himself. Though he may not see the just treatment of himself as the end towards which his action is intended, such potentially altruistic consideration of the

In Apology, Plato 's representation of Socrates states "as I thought and believed, to live the life of a philosopher, to examine myself and others". This statement is a response to the scornful remarks of the accusers asking him if he is not ashamed of where his "human wisdom" has gotten him. Socrates states that a "man who is any good" should only consider "whether he is acting like a good or a bad man". It is evident that Socrates views good character as an important trait of a wise person. He goes on to say that all men should take care

Everyone is capable of being good. But the question you should be asking is if that’s their desire. People are capable of anything. They can also be very tempted by their bad side or their risk-taking side, which can be brought out by others. Some people have a lower tolerance for temptation which makes it easier for them to do what other people say. Such people are also known as followers. They can be tempted by bad things while trying to do the right thing. Each person’s personality can affect everyone around them. People’s cores can be fundamentally good but they could be tempted or affected by others.

Socrates believed that to have a constant obligation as an individual to act ethically, and then pick and choose in which situations to act as such is morally reprehensible. He argued that true morality means that one does not act one way in a certain context and another way in another situation. Socrates asked “Do we say that there is no way that one must ever willingly commit injustice, or does it depend upon circumstance? Is it true, as we have often agreed before, that there is no sense in which an act of injustice is good or honorable?” (88). Although Socrates does not assert his opinion in anything but a question, it is clear that he believes that it would not make sense to know that one should live morally, and then choose in which circumstances to abide by that knowledge.

If we believe that the one who does good for one's soul participates in a life of true happiness, then Socrates is correct. By harming others, we are truly harming ourselves, destroying our chances for happiness and the good. It is an interesting point, however, that although Socrates claims that no one knowingly does wrong, is he not crediting his accusers, such as Meletus, with the evil intention of trying to unjustly put Socrates to death?

As a Christian educator, it is important to base educational practices on Biblical authority. Christian education should teach students to learn to act like God and to do His work (Graham, 2003). “True education is to develop knowledge of God and His created reality and to use that knowledge in exercising a creative-redemptive dominion over the world . . . “ (Graham, 2003, p. 57). Being a Christian educator, does not mean that organizational structure and curriculum occur in a vacuum. Educational philosophy and structure have been developing for thousands of years and the wise educational administrator should study and understand the history and ideas that impact the educational landscape of today.

Therefore, if these things are not exchanged with the help of wisdom then Socrates believes that the aspect of virtue is “…a mere illusion.” (Phaedo 69b). In conclusion, Socrates view on morality is based upon justice, examining how to live, and expanding one’s wisdom.

The philosophers Aristotle and Immanuel Kant express the sources of virtuous and dutiful actions in a similar, yet different way. Both philosophers agree that an action has moral worth, when it is preformed for its own sake. However, the difference contains a more significant meaning. Aristotle believes that pleasure can be included when preforming an action; while Kant believes that a duty is preforming the right action without the need of inclinations.

Aristotle and St. Augustine both wrote philosophical works in order to teach us something that they have learned, in hopes that we will apply it to our own lives. However, Augustine uses a type of autobiographical style in addition to treatise in his works, while Aristotle only uses the treatise style in his works.What were they both thinking when they were writing these famous works? Did they use their respective styles to achieve a goal?

Why would Socrates think that an intellectual knowledge of good is a sufficient condition for being good? Well, Socrates also seems believes that goodness is innate in human beings and that people who have seen what goodness is will want to be good. According to him "the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already" and there is "some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction" (518c-d). So the prisoner is not blind although he lives in the darkness of the cave. In order for him to be able to see the sun, all that needs to be done is for him to be rescued from the underground den. Similarly, the capacity for goodness is innate in human beings and there is no need to implant this quality into their souls. The "art which will effect conversion" is the philosophical art of helping them attain the idea of good (518d). Upon attaining this idea of good, they will be like the freed prisoner who would "felicitate himself

There are a variety of different ethical systems that have developed of the course of millennia. However, even though the subject has been covered so thoroughly, it is still heavily debated. The varieties of ethical systems that are in existence look at various ethical problems from different perspectives and can be applied differently in different circumstances. Because of the subjective aspects to applying ethics, they can be as much an art as they are a science. Ethics are something that must be practiced and really cannot be perfected. In this way, studying ethics is a continual process that does not really stop. This paper will argue that ethics are the most important subject that an individual can pursue.

In our society today, we are mostly challenged by two questions: ‘is it right to do this or that? And ‘how should I be living in society?’(Bessant, 2009). Similar questions were greatly discussed in the history by our ancestors in their philosophical discussions. The most ancient and long-lasting literature on moral principles and ethics were described by Greek philosopher Aristotle. He had an excellent command on various subjects ranging from sciences to mathematics and philosophy. He was also a student of a famous philosopher. His most important study on ethics, personal morality and virtues is ‘The Nicomachean Ethics’, which has been greatly influencing works of literature in ethics and heavily read for centuries, is believed to be

Separated by more than 8500 kilometers but only 52 years, two seminal thinkers have shaped the moral philosophy of their respective cultures. While Western ethical theory has been deeply influenced by Plato’s Republic, Eastern ethical theory has been deeply influenced by Confucius’s Analects. David Haberman describes the Republic as ‘one of the most influential books of all time’ (86). And Bryan Van Norden compares (with considerable fervor) the Analects to ‘the combined influence of Jesus and Socrates’ (3).

Throughout the history of human civilization, logic has played an important role in the development of thought and the innovation of new technological discoveries. Without logic, there would be no reasonable or coherent way of thinking. Furthermore, there would be no person capable of coding a program today. Two important logicians who have contributed a great amount to the study of logic are Aristotle and Gottlob Frege.