Discuss the meaning of the Socratic maxim know thyself as moral imperative. What is the nature and significance of the debate over ontological status of the good Plato’s Euthyphro?

Posted: January 5th, 2023

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Discuss the meaning of the Socratic maxim know thyself as moral imperative. What is the nature and significance of the debate over ontological status of the good Plato’s Euthyphro?

In an effort to understand one-self as Socrates argued, require wisdom hence the need for men to prioritize wisdom and truth rather than money and wealth. To know thyself is a lifetime process that every individual endeavors to achieve. As Socrates described each individual is always in the purest form within though the concern about what happens to others and the strive to achieve others is more prioritized rather than reflection on thyselves. This notion however thrives of the personal sacred nature as individuals emphasize on revealing the external gestures about thyselves to other individuals in the society. The emphasis on this type of reflection hence threatens the human development hence the illustration on the reasons as to why we do not to fully our potential. The quest of self-knowledge facilitates personal focus, which leads to the realization of the personal morals and attributes, forming the basis of the morality. This is because self-knowledge demands for harnessment in compensation of mental strength and the drive to live morally. Understanding oneself plays the central role in the institution of morals in individual as it guides the decisions and actions that one upholds. Peer negative influence and distraction, Socrates argues that they inflict fear, self-doubt, anxiety and hostility against the self-attributes and knowledge hence causing the moral decay.

The process of counselling in an effort to reinstitute morals back into an individual entails subjection of the individuals involved to self – scrutiny to facilitate the realization of the cause of immoral traits as well as pinpointing the various possible means of eliminating the immoral acts. The process leads to personal understanding of the self-strengths and weakness. Therefore, this leads to the conclusion of knowing thyself as the basis of morals and peaceful coexistence of the individuals in the society as it facilitates maximum emphasis on working of the individual weakness rather than focusing on the outside community as the first priority.

What is the significance of the debate over ontological status of the good in Plato’s Euthyphro?

Euthyphyro illustrated the various definitions concerning what is valid hence this acted as the basis of references for Plato. The character Euthyphro however failed to form a strong basis for the Socrates defense, as the character could not explain a pious action that he performed. Plato through the character definitions was unable to illustrate the exact argument on what makes up the piety in regards as to whether natural attribute or characteristic. However, on the basis of polytheistic culture Plato ruled out that an act can be considered pious and evil at the same period due to the failure of gods to agree on what is pious. In the monotheistic culture where individuals believe in one God, God’s will upon the people is unclear since individuals have divergent beliefs on the definition of morals and pious. The rate at which various accounts on socially committed atrocities on God’s will increase, implicates the finer research on the pious and virtuous descriptions. The different variations in perceptions leads to acceptance in disregards to actions and needs, since individuals do not share common perceptions on the best social welfare. The argument therefore stressed on the convenient and pious definition to only what is popular since the common universal though is not always right.

Discuss Plato’s notion of “unchanging Truth.” What constitutes the basis of knowledge of the Good?

Plato ruled the truth to be transcendent in nature as unchanging truth is always constant and far from the capacity of human understanding. This is because for any fact to be true, it ought to be relatively stable and not constantly become altered as it has the performance element hence the ruling of any fact to be perfect. Plato therefore used this perception I the augment of the physical or visible things and the intelligible. Perception of visible things according to Plato is through senses and hence threatened by change. Plato therefore argues that physical form perception is far from truth as intelligible objects entail the use of high reasoning power hence characterized by performance and consistency.

As Plato argued, unchanging truth is not understood based on sense since sense illustrate the appearance rather than the reality, which constitute the inner truth. Plato thus criticized the various forms of writing such as art based on this idea as he considered the various forms of writing as inferior’s tools in the illustration of unchanging truth. For instance, Plato argues that the bed idea criticized the literature in performance as well as transcendent nature of truth. Bed according to Plato is an intellect idea on mind according to his three arguments on bed. Bed as he also ruled is the imitation of truth in the perception of physical object made by the carpenters who imitate the intellect idea forming the unmutilated truth. He also argues that bed is per the artist description.

In addition, as Plato argues, an artist might tempt one to believe a painting as bed, which is art’s deception and three steps from the initial unaltered truth on the form of bed. This as argued led to devaluation of the art’s work since it stands at steps far away from the unchanging truth. Therefore based on the good, quality is the focus of cognition of knowledge where the proper and morally upright things are dubbed the required worth and importance.

How the unchanging truth relate to the doctrine of forms.

Knowledge just like the unchanging truth is the idea of understanding thoroughly or the fact of being conversant with particular discipline. According to Plato, it is changed rather than dependent on acquired intelligence or physical objects implying the knowledge about truth being perfect. Knowledge seeks the purest forms of understanding with intellects and minds. According Plato, knowledge on unchanging truth pursues God’s form which represent the ideal unchanging truth hence the knowledge based on perceptions is valueless as it hinters personal understanding of the reality.

The various physical forms as viewed by human beings form deviated understanding of the reality. Therefore, they mimic the reality which make up the unchanging truth as exemplified in the bed illustration, which has got various types all of which are perceived as bed yet there is only one ideal bed. This is because they are not permanent hence; the various forms imitate the real bed. The various forms are thus a replica of the acquired intelligence rather than the real and objects in mind. Thus, they have classified as realm of dense perceptions due to the fact they attract senses rather than the intellect. Therefore, from this illustration by Plato, it has been deducted that physical objects do not constitute the unchanging truth as well as knowledge of good. The ideology of understanding the physical objects in mind thus the knowledge of good.

The nature of Plato’s ideal form of justice as presented in the Republic.

The ideal justice as ruled by Socrates’ dialogue with the republic followers should inflict the ideal consequences rather than the pleasant looing consequences. Therefore as argued by Socrates, justice is capable of reproducing goodness only hence the disapproval of the Thrasymachus description of ideal justice. Thrasymachus had earlier defined the ideal justice as the act of performing good deeds to the trustworthy friends and revenging on the enemies who in his description where untrustworthy. Therefore, according to Socrates, ideal justice was the acts that aimed at creating soul satisfaction and joy to every individual despite of the grudges or friendships. The ideal justice is thus useful when applied to politics and the ordinary community relations as the just live happy life in all case including the instances of ill treatment while the unjust encounters the unhappy life instances by his own ordeal.

The explanation of the quote “the good of man is the active exercise of his soul’s faculties in conformity with virtue.”

In this quote, Aristotle illustrated happiness as the actions that help in distinction of man from other animals. The actions according to Aristotle are product of the brain profound involvement in the determination of the ethics behind the actions they are likely to partake. Therefore, the various actions by man are as a product of the interplay of the individual’s personal soul and the principles. Human being therefore should act based on reasoning as per the quote thereby the term acting virtuously. Since the soul comprises of the rational aspect behind an individual reasoning and decision-making, it distinguishes human beings from other animals. As Aristotle argued, the rational part of the brain guiding personal decision places an individual at higher chances of attaining happiness. Therefore, the goodness profound in man is depended on the interaction of the two aspects of the soul. As illustrated in individual asleep, there is usually, no significant difference between good and the wicked since the soul is dormant as the nutritive part is functional when asleep. The virtues are thus organized into intellectual and moral virtues where the moral virtues are an illustration of the extent of goodness. The engagement of mind on to the routine activities leads to the maintenance of the personal virtues hence differentiation of man rationally through critical and creative thinking will culminate into maintenance of the wrong virtues in the society.

The Aristotle rational claims concerning the nature of good.

Aristotle claim that every individual the society is enthusiastically committed to achieving the best in life. However, the best varies among different individuals depending on situations and social class such as health and the personal basic needs satisfaction. Therefore, as Aristotle believed in the affluence living not implicating on the individual happiness, it is evident in societal real situations where someone’s honor depend on social class, hence does not necessarily mean that the individual is happy. Therefore just as Plato’s argument on the reality and appearance not replica of the truth, so is honor.

Aristotle further claimed that happiness could not be generalized since varied individuals in the society have varied claims of the achievement on the various levels of happiness. Therefore, as Aristotle claimed, highest goods by different individuals should be independent and terminative. The various good as identified by Aristotle included the extrinsic, bodily and soul goodies. Soul forms the critical imperative good since it comprises of the personal deeds. Happiness correlate to nobility and pleasure, hence it is only evaluated fully among the individuals who freely share their experience as well as situations. Happiness as Aristotle argued leads to differentiation of intellectual and ethical virtues due to the fact it results from engagement of soul to virtue. Hence Aristotle claimed that wealth, fame, victory constitute of the basics that nurture happiness.

How does it differ from Plato’s notion of the absolute form of the good?

Plato and Aristotle have divergent claims of good. Plato in his illustration described good as being capable of generalization and believed in the knowledge comprising the ultimatum of good. Plato has claims that other goodness can be rediscovered through knowledge. Plato continued to argue that an individual require pursuance of the philosophical principles of knowledge involving critical and creative thinking in goals in the goal of achieving goodness. Aristotle on the other hand claim on individual happiness to depend on ones desires. Aristotle also claimed the external good associated with soul as well as body to incline the various forms of good. Aristotle has emphasized the Goods of the soul though he rules out knowledge as factor of good in his arguments. In contrast to Aristotle, conversant knowledge according to Plato lead to the understanding of the form of goods though justice and truth comprising the aspects of goods are deducted from the virtue of the common form of good. Plato in his illustration did not deduce higher good as nature provided extension of good while fabricated entities were non-good.