To Socrates, his action was right and thus he chose not to flee as he felt that upholding justice was very important and the most righteous and virtuous thing to do. In Crito by Plato, Socrates is quoted as saying “that injustice is always an evil and dishonor to him who acts unjustly”. Being just would bring about an “existence worth having on these terms”, as “not (a mere)
In this book, Roark is portrayed as an outsider but in Aristotle’s eyes he is a proud man. Aristotle claims that honors and dishonors are the objects with respect to which the proud man is as he should be. To me this means that a proud man isn’t afraid to be who he truly is. He also states that the vain man goes to comparison with his own merits, but doesn’t exceed the proud man’s claims. This compares Roark from Peter Keating and all of the other characters in The Fountainhead.
He also connected Virtue Ethics with life lived according to human reason. Aristotle upheld that the vicious or callous are characters who fail to exercise reason, the supreme human capacity. Aristotle wrote “happiness depends
This is, of course, the Aristotelian norm for tragedy and is presumably based upon the plays of Sophocles in particular. (McCollom, 1957) The third part of the definition of a tragic hero according to Aristotle is a person who is “of good position and reputation, and he is prosperous.” (Mullens, 1938) The hero is not destroyed because of his own fault but through fate or some external evil. Aristotle sees the ultimate human endeavor to be happiness throughout a complete lifetime. This does not happen as a result of gifts of fortune. Happiness comes
By persecuting his father is piety. But Socrates discards his definition because it is in fact not a definition but rather an example. It does not give reason on why things are pious. So, Euthyphro rebounds by claiming piety is what is pleasing to the gods. He says that “ The things and the men that are pleasing to the gods are pious, and the things and the men that are displeasing to the gods are impious.” Socrates approves of this definition because it is of a very generalization.
Socrates asks the question for this is the pious thing being loved by the gods because it is pious or is it pious because it is loved by the gods? The first part of this question is putting stress on the act or thing that is being loved and not the gods. The second part says the gods love it first and that’s what makes it pious. Euthyphro finally says “I really do not know, Socrates, how to express what I mean…” This refers back to is the pious thing loved because it is pious or is it pious because it is loved by the
If the action produces happy and good consequences versus bad, then it’s the morally right action to follow. “But our calculation is not yet over, for the utilitarian principle tells us that in order for the action to be right, it must produce the greatest good for the greatest number of those affected by it.”(De George, page 47) We would need to drill down into almost every person affected by an action to completely render it morally right, the decision would need to produce the greatest amount of good. Ultimately, for Bentham there was no better man. Everyone had the opportunity in creating the greatest amount of happiness and pleasure. In his eyes, men could produce happiness for anyone involved in any
In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is one of those underserving individuals that somehow has gained admiration and applause in the world’s society. No doubt, Odysseus has heroic traits, but instead he uses them for selfish gain; ultimately causing him to prevail as a negative role model. He possesses overwhelming charisma and wit, which woven with outstanding hubris, transforms his character from a possible great Ithacan king and veteran into nothing more than an unadmirable figure of a man. Some of the most memorable and questioned escapades in the Odyssey are Odysseus’ romantic endeavors. Indisputably, these rendezvous are a result of Odysseus’ unparalleled charisma.
How does your position affect your approach to morality- for example, should a moral system be strict, clear, and absolutistic, or permissive, flexible, and relativistic? There have been numerous discussions by philosophers and also scientists to establish whether man is essentially good, bad or both. Others have argued that man’s mind is initially a blank slate and from that point on his character/nature is defined by his actions. But the truth of the matter is that man is naturally good. His nature dictates for him to achieve what is good for him and others around him consequently his happiness.
Achilles achieved honor on the battlefield as depicted in The Iliad, which fueled his pride. “I tried to dissuade you, but you gave in to your pride and dishonored a great man whom the immortals esteem” (Homer 115). However, his pride was not the only thing the Achilles of The Iliad depicts; his quest for glory is also his motivation to fight. The last lines of Book XX describe Achilles desire for this glory, “But the son of Peleus pressed on to win him glory, flecking with gore his irresistible hands." In the movie Troy Achilles is first motivated by honor and pride, but then passion overtakes him when Agamemnon takes Briseis.