Platonic Virtues1. Justice2. Wisdom3. Temperance (Moderate)4. Courage Socrates (469-399 BC)-Native Athenian citizen.-Dialogues written by Plato, between Socrates and the Sophists (teachers) over "ethics" ---> "How shouldwe live?" "What is a good life?"-Ethics- values choices; right and wrong, good and evil. Deals with "ought to" or "should" statements.-Virtue is the ultimate end (arête or excellence). Presupposes some end and a standard.-Happiness = Virtue = Excellence -Moral excellence exist, produces happiness of living well What is Knowledge?-Rejects power and pleasure as the basis of Happiness, replaces it with knowledge.-Knowledge is based on the Ethical Truths found in each/all individuals.-Questions "epistemology"- how can we know something, is knowledge possible?-Begin with admission that you know nothing, then you can learn.-2 types of knowledge- Belief/opinion and true knowledge. It is not what you know but know you know it.-Opinion is to know things based on convention, because they are commonly held, but you do not know the cause (insecure- can and will change). Conventional morality has no consciousness- it is relative. -Socrates is reacting to the teachings and prevalence of the SOPHIST.-Sophist argue that virtue/happiness is "the ability to acquire those things that people agree give pleasure- wealth, honor, status"… "political virtue is the successful use of power."-Sophist = "expert' "wise man"-Provided "career oriented" services/instruction. Meant to give practical help in politics. -Taught behavior/ideas applicable to the circumstances at hand. Not a single school, or set of tenants; not confined to one subject. Sophist-2 Strains- moderate and radical-Protagoras- "Man is the measure of all things"-Not concerned with truth but persuasion things were not necessarily tue, but more or less plausible-Gorgias- nature and law are opposites. Laws are products of art and convention, thus there is no universal, natural law of how things "should" be, no "ideal" The turth is what each person takes it to be, No Certainty = No Truth.-'man's arête, mans virtue, excellence, efficiency can be taught and it is thought by experience- picked upas a pattern of behavior like speech. Plato's Apology (More applicable as "Plato's defense")-3 speeches from Socrates as his defense.-found guilty and lost his life - convicted and given a death penalty, committed suicide by drinking hemlock.-2 Charges: "religious impiety" (not believing in the gods) and "corrupting the youth".-One of the overarching concerns for the politics is who should teach the young of a society and what should they teach them? -Socrates' teaching - Knowledge through questioning, conversation, argument. The aim is to determine what ideas/beliefs can stand up to this questioning or scrutiny. -The Greeks had a tradition of teaching from the poems and epics that showed the behavior of the gods, the virtues of man through the gods examples, etc.-Socrates defends this way of teaching based on a charge from the oracles and the gods.-He cites a story from his friend Chairephon who asks the oracle at Delphi "who is the wisest person." The oracle say Socrates. -Socrates does not believe it, but sees it as his duty to uphold the oracles claims and begins to question other "wise" men to see if the oracle is correct- thinks the oracle is correct because he realizes that so-called wise persons are not wise. Neither is he, but he thinks he is wiser because he realizes he doesn't know thinks. (I am wiser because I admit that I know nothing.)-Seeking true knowledge is his charge from the gods, so it is an exercise of his faith. His life is been not concerned with public life, wealth, etc. but with the private matters of the sould, to become a "good" person, for him this means seeking "true knowledge" or "wisdom."-Accusers "Anytus" and "Meletus" Legal Institutions of Ancient Athens-Jury courts - from Donald Kagen-Chosen from a pool of 6000 jurors/year (600 from each tribe)-At least 30 y/o and not in debt-Panels of 200-500 per case/random selection (by lot):-Paid 1/2 to 1/4 of average daily wage (heavily weighted towards old men, wealthy men, farmers in the off season).-NO appeals, NO objections, NO dismissal.-Case were brought by victims (or any citizen) not by the state. Cases were presented by litigants, no lawyers (maybe advised and speeches written by someone else).-Trials lasted only one day- 3 phases: arguments, witnesses, rebuttal.-Magistrates were laymen, selected by lot, one year positions.-Plaintiff proposed the penalty, Defendant made counter proposal, then the jury voted.-If plaintiffs didn't win they had to pay a fine; to deter frivolous suits.-Flaws: prejudice juries, made up laws, bad/flawed arguments, false arguments. Lessons:-Civil Disobedience: a political act that is purposefully breaking the law; conscience is the highest law, representative of "justice"; one willingly suffer the consequences to point out injustices.-Insults the Jury of 501: says they have had negative view of Socrates since childhood; says they are hurting the city, disobeying the gods, by sentencing him to death; says he is "given to the state by the God".-Socratic view of Citizenship: "Seek virtue and wisdom before he looks to his private interest, and not look to the state's possessions before he looks to the interest of the state. "the strong arm of that oppressive power did not frighten me into doing wrong." Civil Disobedience:-Purposely breaking the law to demonstrate/protest the injustice of the law. Natural law > man's law-Socrates' speech is basically his civil disobedience.Socrates Defense:-Juror is