Ancient Philosophers: Virtue, Soul, & Happiness Ethics - Essay Sample

Introduction

Ancient philosophers relied upon several essential notions in presenting moral theories. They comprise of virtue as well as soul and happiness virtues. The virtue ethics were individualistic and predominantly pertained, helping individuals in self-improvement and eventually become better beings. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were among the notable thinkers who formulated individual ethical viewpoints. Their ideas have philosophical similarities and also contrasts; Plato emulated Socrates in his opinion that knowledge is good as it is a virtue; however, according to Aristotle, knowing is insufficient as one has to decide to act appropriately.

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Considering the conception of virtue by the three thinkers, it is possible to draw several similarities between Socratic, Aristocratic, and Platonic theories. Importantly, Socrates and Plato's theories are closely related, in the light of, the latter was the former's student (Gill, 2004). To begin with, each philosopher perceives virtue as an unchanging aspect of a person. Plato argues that their understanding of the good determines an individuals' virtual (Wians, 2012). Someone who knows good can tell the good in all options all the time hence be virtuous absolutely. Likewise, for Aristotle, a particular person may be perceived as either possessing virtue or not having it. Virtue is considered a soul's condition. Someone having virtue is only virtuous as a consequence of their soul remaining in a specific state. Hence, in Aristotle's opinion, virtue is as well seen as a comprehensive property imposed on virtuous individuals.

Another similarity in which the theories appear to converge in their concept of virtue is in the pragmatic process of becoming virtuous. Plato has an idea that for one to possess virtue, their soul must be somewhat balanced, reason informing action and thought while appetite stays suppressed. He supposes that proper upbringing is necessary for a person to acquire the correct balance. Plato trusts that one must learn from a younger age to regulate appetite by abstaining from bodily pleasures and practice reason along with notional thought and forms contemplation. Accordingly, virtue acquisition requires control and practices, which results in an ideal soul proportion. Comparably, Aristotle's beliefs are related to those mentioned earlier. For him, doing virtuous deeds is necessary, but it is not sufficient. For one to claim to be moral, one must practice not only virtuous actions but also draw pleasure in their chosen activities (Kraut, 1976). He believes that for one to have correct responses, it takes repetition of the steps; and that manifesting moderation in all life circumstances is a catalyst to becoming virtuous. Therefore, Plato and Aristotle agree on the road to virtuousness, which is through self-control and practice.

Although the ethical notions of the philosophers may appear to be similar, there are some fundamental differences. According to Plato, knowledge by itself is a virtue, which means that once an individual has known the right thing, they will automatically act rightly. From this argument, it follows that when an individual engages in a wrong act, it is not because they want to do it knowing it is wrong; instead, it is because they believe it is good. Plato, in his Socratic belief, knowledge is a virtue, implies that an individual can learn from wrong to do the right thing and to do good from evil. Aristotle argued that knowing the right thing is not enough, and an individual has to choose to act correctly. According to Aristotle, the habit of doing good can only manifest once an individual has chosen to do good over evil. The definition of knowledge, according to Aristotle, makes it practical rather than theoretical as adopted by Plato and Socrates.

Another significant difference in the ethical notions is the unification of virtues. For Socrates and Plato, the fundamental goodness is wisdom, and with it, all the other attributes can be unified into a whole (Vlastos, 1985). However, Aristotle, in his belief, argued that knowledge is virtuous, and one cannot achieve it automatically. According to Aristotle, an individual can only achieve the goal of wisdom after making an effort and choosing to think and act wisely. The state of character is what enables an individual to perform well, and it depends on the individual's responses to pains and pleasures under various circumstances. Therefore, for Aristotle, a virtuous individual knows of the best course of action, makes a choice to take it, and feels bliss as a result of taking action.

Socrates argued that it is easy to achieve happiness without virtue, but it can only be animalistic (Tarrant, 2000). In contrast, Plato argued that ethics is adequate for happiness and moral luck is no longer there. A completely virtuous individual is the one whose soul is in harmony because of each of the three parts, which include reason, spirit, and appetite desire what is right and acts appropriately. Contrary to their views, Aristotle argued that virtue is essential for happiness but inadequate by itself. For Aristotle, satisfaction is a kind of right activity and not merely a condition of the soul (Hoffman, 1971). Therefore, a good life results from the logical operation of the soul as directed by the virtues.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the philosophies of Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato develop an essential account of human virtue. The moral theories depended on various important notions that consist of happiness, the soul, virtue, and virtues. Although their ethical opinions may appear to be similar, the implications of their theories are entirely inconsistent. Through comparing and contrasting, there is a deeper understanding of their ideas concerning ancient philosophy on ethics.

References

Gill, C. (2004). Plato and the scope of ethical knowledge. Plato Journal, (4). doi: 10.14195/2183-4105_4_5

Hoffman, R. (1971). Aristotle on moral virtue. Philosophia, 1(3-4), 191-195. doi: 10.1007/bf02383291

Kraut, R. (1976). Aristotle on Choosing Virtue for Itself. Archiv Fur Geschichte Der Philosophie, 58(3). doi: 10.1515/agph.1976.58.3.223

Tarrant, H. (2000). The Philosophy of Socrates. Ancient Philosophy, 20(2), 473-478. doi: 10.5840/ancientphil200020244

Vlastos, G. (1985). Happiness and virtue in Socrates' moral theory. Topoi, 4(1), 3-22. doi: 10.1007/bf00138646

Wians, W. (2012). Virtue, practice, and perplexity in Plato's Meno. Plato Journal, (12). doi: 10.14195/2183-4105_12_6