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Single Idea 143

[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature ]

Full Idea

In each one of us there are two ruling and impelling principles: a desire for pleasure, which is innate, and an acquired conviction which causes us to aim at excellence.

Clarification

'Virtue' here is the Greek word 'areté', which also translates as 'excellence'

Gist of Idea

The two ruling human principles are the natural desire for pleasure, and an acquired love of virtue

Source

Plato (Phaedrus [c.366 BCE], 237d)

Book Ref

Plato: 'Phaedrus and Letters VII and VIII', ed/tr. Hamilton,Walter [Penguin 1973], p.36

A Reaction

This division is too neat and simple. An obsession with pleasure I would take to be acquired. If you set out to do something, I think there is an innate desire to do it well.

The 24 ideas from 'Phaedrus'

23997 Plato saw emotions and appetites as wild horses, in need of taming [Plato, by Goldie]
143 The two ruling human principles are the natural desire for pleasure, and an acquired love of virtue [Plato]
144 Reason impels us towards excellence, which teaches us self-control [Plato]
146 Soul is always in motion, so it must be self-moving and immortal [Plato]
148 If the prime origin is destroyed, it will not come into being again out of anything [Plato]
9296 The soul is self-motion [Plato]
149 There isn't a single reason for positing the existence of immortal beings [Plato]
150 We cannot conceive of God, so we have to think of Him as an immortal version of ourselves [Plato]
151 True knowledge is of the reality behind sense experience [Plato]
152 The mind of God is fully satisfied and happy with a vision of reality and truth [Plato]
153 It takes a person to understand, by using universals, and by using reason to create a unity out of sense-impressions [Plato]
154 We would have an overpowering love of knowledge if we had a pure idea of it - as with the other Forms [Plato]
155 Beauty is the clearest and most lovely of the Forms [Plato]
156 Bad people are never really friends with one another [Plato]
157 Most pleasure is release from pain, and is therefore not worthwhile [Plato]
158 An excellent speech seems to imply a knowledge of the truth in the mind of the speaker [Plato]
159 Only a good philosopher can be a good speaker [Plato]
7953 Reasoning needs to cut nature accurately at the joints [Plato]
16121 I revere anyone who can discern a single thing that encompasses many things [Plato]
160 The highest ability in man is the ability to discuss unity and plurality in the nature of things [Plato]
162 Can we understand an individual soul without knowing the soul in general? [Plato]
165 If the apparent facts strongly conflict with probability, it is in everyone's interests to suppress the facts [Plato]
166 A speaker should be able to divide a subject, right down to the limits of divisibility [Plato]
5946 'Phaedrus' pioneers the notion of philosophical rhetoric [Lawson-Tancred on Plato]