Plato's ethics / Terence Irwin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Irwin, Terence.

Contributor:

Sabin W. Colton, Jr., Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plato--Ethics.

Plato.

Ethics.

Physical Description:

xx, 436 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York ; Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1995.

Summary:

Plato's Ethics explains and examines Plato's answer to the question, "How ought we to live?" It discusses Plato's conception of the virtues; his views about the connection between the virtues and happiness; and the account of reason, desire, and motivation that underlies his arguments about the virtues. Plato's views on knowledge, belief, and inquiry, and his theory of forms are discussed, insofar as they are relevant to his ethical view.

Terence Irwin traces the development of Plato's moral philosophy, from the Socratic dialogues to its fullest exposition in the Republic. Plato's Ethics discusses Plato's reasons for abandoning or modifying some aspects of Socratic ethics, and for believing that he preserves Socrates' essential insights. A brief and selective discussion of the Statesmen, Philebus, and Laws is included.

Replacing Irwin's earlier Plato's Moral Theory (Oxford, 1977), this book gives a clearer and fuller account of the main questions and discusses some recent controversies in the interpretation of Plato's ethics. It does not presuppose any knowledge of Greek or any extensive knowledge of Plato.

Contents:

1. Plato, Socrates, and the Dialogues 3

2. Approaches to the Dialogues 4

3. Aristotle and the Dialogues 5

4. Why Dialogues? 7

5. Aristotle and Socrates 8

6. The Order of the Dialogues 11

7. Plato's Attitude to Socrates 13

8. Socrates in the History of Greek Ethics 15

2. Socrates' Method 17

9. Socratic Ignorance and Socratic Method 17

10. Uses of the Elenchos 18

11. Socrates' Constructive Method 20

12. The Demand for an Account 21

13. Accounts and Definitions 22

14. Adequate Definitions 23

15. Types of Definition 25

16. Knowledge and Definition 27

17. Difficulties about Socratic Ignorance 28

18. Difficulties in Socratic Method 29

3. Socrates' Arguments about the Virtues 31

19. The Character of the Dialogues 31

20. Common Beliefs 32

21. Happiness 32

22. Virtue 33

23. Virtue and the Virtues 35

24. Action, Character, and Virtue 36

25. The Fine and the Good 37

26. Temperance and Knowledge 38

27. Bravery and Knowledge 40

28. Temperance and the Unity of the Virtues 41

29. Bravery and the Unity of the Virtues 42

30. Justice and the Good of the Agent 44

31. Justice and the Good of Others 46

32. The Guiding Principles of Socratic Inquiry 48

33. The Elenchos and the Search for Definitions 49

34. Socrates' Treatment of Common Beliefs 50

4. Socrates: From Happiness to Virtue 52

35. The Importance of the Euthydemus 52

36. Eudaemonism 52

37. Why Eudaemonism? 53

38. Happiness, Wisdom, and Fortune 55

39. Wisdom and the Correct Use of Assets 56

40. Wisdom as the Only Good 56

41. The Sufficiency of Virtue for Happiness 58

42. Use and Misuse of Knowledge 60

43. Socrates' Defence of His Guiding Principles 61

44. Questions about Socrates' Defence 63

5. Difficulties for Socrates 65

45. The Questions about Happiness 65

46. Is Virtue Instrumental to Happiness? 67

47. Is Virtue a Craft? 68

48. Aristotle on Virtue and Craft 70

49. Aristotle on Production and Action 71

50. Virtues, Crafts, and Instrumental Means 72

51. Why Is Virtue Sufficient for Happiness? 73

52. Virtue, Craft, and Non-Rational Desires 75

53. Implications of an Instrumental View 76

6. The Protagoras 78

54. The Aims of the Dialogue 78

55. Protagoras and Socrates on Virtue 79

56. Preliminary Arguments for the Unity of the Virtues 80

57. The Appeal to Hedonism 81

58. The Denial of Incontinence 83

59. The Last Argument for the Unity of the Virtues 84

60. Questions about Socratic Hedonism 85

61. Eudaemonism and Hedonism 87

62. Advantages of Hedonism 88

63. Hedonism and Instrumentalism 89

64. Hedonism and the Virtues 90

65. Socratic Method in the Protagoras 92

7. The Argument of the Gorgias 95

66. The Main Issues 95

67. Objections to Rhetoric 96

68. Rhetoric and Justice 97

69. Power and Justice 99

70. The Argument with Callicles 101

71. Callicles' Moral Position 102

72. Callicles' Conception of Happiness 104

73. Socrates' Conception of Happiness 106

74. Socrates' Reply to Callicles 106

75. Rhetoric and Pleasure 108

76. Happiness and Rational Order 109

8. Implications of the Gorgias 111

77. Quantitative Hedonism 111

78. Pleasure and Good 113

79. Psychic Order 114

80. Socratic Eudaemonism in the Gorgias 116

81. The Adaptive Conception of Happiness 117

82. Wisdom and Happiness 118

83. Happiness and External Goods 118

84. Happiness, Virtue, and Justice 120

85. The Treatment of the Interlocutor 121

86. The Constructive Use of the Elenchos 122

87. The Contribution of the Gorgias to Socratic Moral Theory 124

9. Socratic Method and Socratic Ethics: The Meno 127

88. Questions about Socratic Method 127

89. Inquiry and Knowledge 128

90. Accounts and Definitions 129

91. Definition, Explanation, and Knowledge 130

92. The Paradox of Inquiry 130

93. A Successful Inquiry 132

94. A Defence of Socratic Inquiry 133

95. Aspects of Recollection 135

96. Virtue as Knowledge: For and Against 136

97. Virtue and Benefit 137

98. Psychological Eudaemonism in the Meno 138

99. Knowledge and Teaching 140

100. Knowledge, Belief, and Socratic Inquiry 141

101. Knowledge, Belief, and Stability 143

102. Knowledge, Belief, and Virtue 145

103. The Meno and Socratic Ethics 146

10. The Theory of Forms 148

104. Socratic Method and Platonic Metaphysics 148

105. Definition and Unity 149

106. Convention and Objectivity 150

107. Epistemological Requirements for a Definition 152

108. Compresence of Opposites 154

109. Compresence and Explanation 155

110. The Form and the 'Many' 156

111. The Role of the Senses 157

112. Sensible Properties 160

113. Objections to the Senses: Types of Flux 161

114. The Senses and the Compresence of Opposites 163

115. Difficulties about Moral Properties 163

116. Definitions and Hypotheses 166

11. Republic I 169

117. The Significance of Book I 169

118. Cephalus 170

119. Polemarchus 171

120. Simonides on Justice 172

121. Thrasymachus' Account 174

122. Objections to Thrasymachus: Rulers and Crafts 176

123. Thrasymachus on Justice and Virtue 177

124. Psychic Order 178

125. The Human Function 179

126. Results of Book I 180

12. Republic II: Objections to Justice 181

127. The Question about Justice 181

128. Justice and Its Consequences 182

129. Gyges' Ring 184

130. The Choice of Lives 185

131. Apparent and Real Justice 187

132. Glaucon, Adeimantus, and Thrasymachus 188

133. The Division of Goods 189

134. The Superiority of Justice 191

135. The Relation of Justice to Happiness 192

136. Virtue and Reliability 194

137. Admiration for Virtue 195

138. Virtue, Knowledge, and Perfection 197

139. Socrates and the Praise of Justice 198

140. Socrates and the Relation of Virtue to Happiness 199

141. Socrates and the Definition of Justice 200

142. Are Plato's Questions Reasonable? 201

13. Republic IV: The Division of the Soul 203

143. The Argument of Book IV 203

144. Plato's Argument for the Division of the Soul 203

145. Conflicts between Desires 205

146. Rational Desires versus Appetites 206

147. Desire and Contrariety 207

148. The Appetitive Part 209

149. The Spirited Part 211

150. The Rational Part 214

151. Reasons for the Tripartition of the Soul 216

152. Parts of the Soul as Agents 217

153. The Unity of a Part of the Soul 218

154. Relations between Parts of the Soul 220

14. Republic IV: The Virtues 223

155. The Division of the Soul and the Account of the Virtues 223

156. Connexions between the Virtues: Bravery 224

157. Connexions between the Virtues: Temperance 226

158. Justice and the Other Virtues 227

159. Is Knowledge Necessary for Virtue? The Political Analogy 229

160. Virtue without Wisdom? 230

161. Knowledge and Stability 231

162. Knowledge, Reasons, and Virtue 233

163. Degrees of Virtue 234

164. Virtue, Knowledge, and Autonomy 235

165. Is Knowledge Sufficient for Virtue? 236

166. The Reciprocity and Unity of the Virtues 237

167. The Republic and the Socratic Dialogues 239

168. Socratic and Platonic Doctrines in Greek Ethics 242

15. Republic IV: Justice and Happiness 244

169. The Questions about Justice 244

170. The Function of the Rational Part 245

171. The Role of Practical Reason 247

172. Socrates on Happiness: Some Objections 248

173. Socrates on Happiness: Some Ambiguities 250

174. Happiness and the Human Function 252

175. Justice and the Human Function 253

176. The Dominance of Justice 254

177. An Objection to Plato's Account of Justice 256

178. Common Views about Justice 257

179. An Answer to Thrasymachus? 260

16. Republic V-VII 262

180. Socratic Definition in the

Republic 262

181. The Philosophers and the Sight-Lovers 264

182. The Importance of the Sight-Lovers 265

183. Knowledge and Belief 266

184. Plato's Objection to the Sight-Lovers 268

185. Are the Sight-Lovers Refuted? 269

186. The Sun 271

187. The Form of the Good 272

188. The Divided Line 274

189. The Cave on Belief 275

190. The Cave on Knowledge 277

191. Epistemology and Moral Theory 279

17. Republic VIII-IX on Justice 281

192. The Place of Books VIII-IX 281

193. Sources of Psychic Injustice 282

194. The Decline of the Soul 283

195. Choices in Unjust Souls 284

196. Rational Choices in the Decline of the Soul 285

197. The Rational Part of an Unjust Soul 287

198. The Functions of the Rational Part 288

199. The Rational Part and the Choice of Ends 290

200. The Pleasures of the Rational Part 291

201. The Special Concerns of the Rational Part 292

202. The Good of the Whole Soul 294

203. A Fuller Conception of Psychic Justice 295

18. Platonic Love 298

204. The Questions about Justice and Interest 298

205. Philosophers as Rulers 299

206. The Aims of the Rational Part 301

207. The Puzzles about Love in the Republic 302

208. Aspects of Eros 303

209. Concern for the Future 306

210. Concern for Others 308

211. Propagation and Love of Other Persons 310

212. Platonic Love and Platonic Justice 311

213. The Justice of the Philosopher-Rulers 313

214. Conclusions from the Republic 316

19. Pleasure, Intelligence, and the Good 318

215. The Scope of the Philebus 318

216. The Diversity of Pleasures 319

217. One and Many 321

218. Limit and Unlimited 323

219. Limit and Norm 324

220. Questions about Limit and Unlimited 325

221. The Choice of Pleasures 327

222. False Pleasures 328

223. Better and Worse Pleasures 330

224. The Character of the Good 332

225. Completeness and External Goods 335

226. The Special Role of Intelligence 337

20. Reason and Virtue 339

227. Questions Raised in the Late Dialogues 339

228. The Disunity of the Virtues 339

229. Pleasure and Desire 342

230. Pleasure and Happiness 343

231. Virtue and Happiness 345

232. The Cardinal Virtues 347

233. Wisdom and Virtue 349

234. Conditions for Wisdom 350.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-405) and indexes.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Sabin W. Colton, Jr., Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

0195086449

0195086457

OCLC:

29219621