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Full Idea
Unless a man is born with a heaven-sent aversion to wrong-doing, or acquires the knowledge to refrain from it, he will never do right of his own free will.
Gist of Idea
We avoid evil either through a natural aversion, or because we have acquired knowledge
Source
Plato (The Republic [c.374 BCE], 366c)
Book Ref
Plato: 'Republic', ed/tr. Waterfield,Robin [OUP 1993], p.55
A Reaction
This is the territory explored so carefully by Aristotle (after he had read Republic!). It is hard to see what the knowledge could be, other than awareness of consequences.
| 16 | We avoid evil either through a natural aversion, or because we have acquired knowledge [Plato] |
| 22515 | Choice results when deliberation brings together an opinion with an inclination [Aristotle] |
| 24113 | Our motives don't explain our actions [Nietzsche] |
| 20045 | Acting for a reason is a combination of a pro attitude, and a belief that the action is appropriate [Davidson] |
| 20149 | To control our actions better, make them result from our attitudes, not from circumstances [Kekes] |
| 4325 | Must all actions be caused in part by a desire, or can a belief on its own be sufficient? [Hursthouse] |