more on this theme     |     more from this thinker

Single Idea 5069

[filed under theme 20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / b. Intellectualism ]

Full Idea

Socrates was the first significant thinker to try basing ethics upon reason, and to try uncovering its natural principles solely by the use of reason.

Gist of Idea

Socrates was the first to base ethics upon reason, and use reason to explain it

Source

comment on Socrates (reports of career [c.420 BCE]) by Richard Taylor - Virtue Ethics: an Introduction Ch.7

Book Ref

Taylor,Richard: 'Virtue Ethics: an Introduction' [Prometheus 2002], p.45

A Reaction

Interesting. It seems to me that Socrates overemphasised reason, presumably because it was a novelty. Hence his view that akrasia is impossible, and that virtue is simply knowledge. Maybe action is not just rational, but moral action is.

The 44 ideas from 'reports of career'

13773 For the truth you need Prodicus's fifty-drachma course, not his one-drachma course [Socrates]
7421 A philosopher is one who cares about what other people care about [Socrates, by Foucault]
1649 Socrates opened philosophy to all, but Plato confined moral enquiry to a tiny elite [Vlastos on Socrates]
5842 Philosophical discussion involves dividing subject-matter into categories [Socrates, by Xenophon]
648 Socrates began the quest for something universal with his definitions, but he didn't make them separate [Socrates, by Aristotle]
164 It is legitimate to play the devil's advocate [Socrates]
1647 In Socratic dialogue you must say what you believe, so unasserted premises are not debated [Vlastos on Socrates]
115 Socrates was pleased if his mistakes were proved wrong [Socrates]
22099 The method of Socrates shows the student is discovering the truth within himself [Socrates, by Carlisle]
5844 Socrates always proceeded in argument by general agreement at each stage [Socrates, by Xenophon]
11389 Socrates sought essences, which are the basis of formal logic [Socrates, by Aristotle]
639 Socrates developed definitions as the basis of syllogisms, and also inductive arguments [Socrates, by Aristotle]
1652 Socrates did not consider universals or definitions as having separate existence, but Plato made Forms of them [Socrates, by Aristotle]
199 The common belief is that people can know the best without acting on it [Socrates]
3017 The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance [Socrates, by Diog. Laertius]
23907 Courage is scientific knowledge [Socrates, by Aristotle]
1650 For Socrates our soul, though hard to define, is our self [Vlastos on Socrates]
23252 Socrates first proposed that we are run by mind or reason [Socrates, by Frede,M]
5839 For Socrates, wisdom and prudence were the same thing [Socrates, by Xenophon]
195 No one willingly commits an evil or base act [Socrates]
1653 Socrates did not accept the tripartite soul (which permits akrasia) [Vlastos on Socrates]
5843 People do what they think they should do, and only ever do what they think they should do [Socrates, by Xenophon]
5253 Socrates was shocked by the idea of akrasia, but observation shows that it happens [Aristotle on Socrates]
5867 For Socrates, virtues are forms of knowledge, so knowing justice produces justice [Socrates, by Aristotle]
5069 Socrates was the first to base ethics upon reason, and use reason to explain it [Taylor,R on Socrates]
5836 All human virtues are increased by study and practice [Socrates, by Xenophon]
5840 The wise perform good actions, and people fail to be good without wisdom [Socrates, by Xenophon]
185 Socrates despised good looks [Socrates, by Plato]
5070 Socrates conservatively assumed that Athenian conventions were natural and true [Taylor,R on Socrates]
5838 A well-made dung basket is fine, and a badly-made gold shield is base, because of function [Socrates, by Xenophon]
5837 Things are both good and fine by the same standard [Socrates, by Xenophon]
1646 Socrates was the first to put 'eudaimonia' at the centre of ethics [Socrates, by Vlastos]
1663 By 'areté' Socrates means just what we mean by moral virtue [Vlastos on Socrates]
126 We should ask what sort of people we want to be [Socrates]
4323 Socrates is torn between intellectual virtue, which is united and teachable, and natural virtue, which isn't [PG on Socrates]
8003 Socrates agrees that virtue is teachable, but then denies that there are teachers [Socrates, by MacIntyre]
4111 Socrates believed that basically there is only one virtue, the power of right judgement [Socrates, by Williams,B]
7808 Socrates made the civic values of justice and friendship paramount [Socrates, by Grayling]
7585 Socrates emphasises that the knower is an existing individual, with existence his main task [Socrates, by Kierkegaard]
1657 Socrates holds that right reason entails virtue, and this must also apply to the gods [Vlastos on Socrates]
5841 Obedience to the law gives the best life, and success in war [Socrates, by Xenophon]
1661 Socrates was the first to grasp that a cruelty is not justified by another cruelty [Vlastos on Socrates]
5846 A lover using force is a villain, but a seducer is much worse, because he corrupts character [Socrates, by Xenophon]
1662 A new concept of God as unswerving goodness emerges from Socrates' commitment to virtue [Vlastos on Socrates]