Socrates And Ethics Why One Should Be Essay

Socrates And Ethical motives: Why One Should Be Moral Essay, Research PaperWhy should one be moral? Epistemology trades with truth versus sentiment.

Questions include what is truth, and what is its beginning? Is truth absolute or relative? Last, Ethical motives trades with right and incorrect. It besides deals with the interactions between people and their society.Students of Ethical motives might inquire & # 8216 ; What are our duties to ourselves and society? & # 8217 ; and & # 8216 ; Why should one be moral? & # 8217 ; I will try to reply this inquiry. I think it is of import to specify morality and moralss, as I understand them.

Ethical motives are a set of regulations passed to us through societal and spiritual experiences that serve to regulate our independent actions. Moral beliefs rest merely on our sense of right and incorrect. It is of import to observe that ethical motives merely apply to single action and effect.

Ethical motives, nevertheless, use to the actions of two or more people. Ethical motives are nonmeaningful unless applied in a societal context. Ethical motives serve to specify the acceptable actions of the person within the societal construction. Ethical motives are established through the consensus of many people and with the counsel of human experience. With morality, 1s behaviour is held to an ideal codification of behavior. Ethical motives, nevertheless, trades with an progressive, but come-at-able set of patterns. It is left to the person to take a determination that is moral, irrespective of its ethical standing.Socrates held that & # 8216 ; To cognize the good is to make the good.

& # 8217 ; By this, he meant that no adult male wittingly acts against his ain involvement. Socrates believed that no adult male could consciously make incorrect if that individual genuinely knew the right class of action. Socrates defines moral as being the logical consequence of rational idea. Through ground, one will cognize morality. Plato, a pupil of Socrates, held a similar position. Plato taught that moral values are absolute truths and therefore are abstract perfect entities.

He called this the & # 8216 ; Idea of the Good. & # 8217 ; The Idea of the Good is the supreme beginning of all values. Plato felt that this was the fulfilment of truth and world. He besides defines this good as unattainable.

This good is something to be sought after, but ne’er achieved.Aristotle held that there were two sorts of virtuousness: moral and rational. He felt that ethical motives are the annealing of adult male & # 8217 ; s natural desires and appetencies. Intellect, he says, is the development of acceptable wonts through repeat.

He believed that & # 8216 ; We become merely by making merely acts. & # 8217 ; Aristotle argues that most virtuousnesss fall at a mean between more utmost character traits. Harmonizing to Aristotle, it is non an easy undertaking to happen the perfect mean betweenutmost character traits. In fact, we need assistance from our ground to make this. Additionally, Aristotle disassociated morality from God. He taught that God is excessively pure to trouble oneself with such trifles. He states that God is ‘Thought believing thought.’Through my treatments with several other people, I have come to the decision that morality and moralss are closely interconnected.

I propose the thought that a individual can be moral and ethical. I farther believe that a individual can be moral and unethical. I think, nevertheless, that a individual can non be immoral and ethical. I believe that ethical behaviour is a direct consequence of morality. I will repeat my definition of ethical motives and moralss: ethical motives are perfect and unattainable, and moralss are imperfect and accomplishable.

It may look odd that a individual must foremost be perfect ( moral ) , before he can be imperfect ( ethical ) . I posed several inquiries to my friends and household. They included the inquiry & # 8216 ; Can a lecherous president who performs all his political responsibilities be considered moral and/or ethical? & # 8217 ; Each individual interviewed felt that neither was possible. Cited illustrations were that this president could suggest Torahs refering equal rights for adult females. His actions, nevertheless, would show that he did non in fact believe in the Torahs he mandated. His workss ( lechery ) would be immoral and would therefore annul his Torahs. It would be a presentation of the proverb & # 8216 ; Do as I say, non as I do. & # 8217 ;The Golden Rule is a authoritative illustration of this.

We should make unto others what we would hold others do unto us. Since I do non desire my neighbour to steal my properties, so it is incorrect for me to steal his properties. Since I would desire people to feed me if I was hungering, so I should assist feed hungering people.

Following this line of logical thinking, it would be possible for me to find whether any action is right or incorrect. Therefore, based on the Golden Rule, it would besides be incorrect for me to lie to, harass, victimize or putting to death others. It is from these sorts of moral judgements that society is able to specify a larger set of cardinal rules ; such as rights to life, autonomy and felicity. This leads to the formation of a kind of democratic version of morality called moralss. A group selects certain regulations of right behavior from a pool of regulations of right behavior created by persons and follow them as the societal norm.

In this manner, a composite ethical codification evolves so that most of the people in the group are content to follow most of the regulations most of the clip. In this manner, our society encourages people to be moral.BibliographyKennnedy, Paul: & # 8221 ; Plato: The life and decease of Socrates & # 8221 ;