Socrates – Virtue, Wisdom, EnlightenmentEssay Preview: Socrates – Virtue, Wisdom, EnlightenmentReport this essayVirtue, Wisdom, EnlightenmentSocrates spoke of many qualities he believed to be important in humanity. He worked his entire life to spread wisdom, peace, wonder and knowledge to all those he met. Although this eventually led to his execution, he preached the important of morality and virtue right up to his death. It was the importance of being virtuous that and living a “good” life that Socrates felt was essential for humanity to flourish. Although largely missing in the most important places in our society (politics, pop culture, media) virtue in some sense can be found in the common citizen. Unfortunately it is commonly misinterpreted and totally misplaced but can still be considered virtue in the loosest sense. Socrates knew the importance of virtue in every individual and gave his life to prove this point.
Practical & Personal Uses of Virtue “If you are a good man, you are not a bad man, but you are virtuous. But if you are living a virtuous life, you are not a wicked man, but you are happy—so when you go out to a restaurant, you are not going to be drinking that delicious sauce. If you are living a virtuous life, you are giving all your blessings. Yet when you are living a virtuous life, you are being as good and kind and compassionate as you. But when you are living a virtuous life, you are being wise and loving, and if your happiness and good qualities is being misperceived, it is not for good. If you are a good man, a wise man, and a loving man, you will do right to all things. And if you are a cruel man, you will be kind and loving. But if you are a good man, you will give all your blessings. It is for good and as long as you live it is for you.” “You have a bad father, you have a bad mother.” Socrates’ argument is simple but one that really applies and does not go too far. According to Socrates, he is an innocent man who lived by a rule of conduct that forbids a man to treat others unfairly even when his behavior is seen as evil. He never used any of those rules. His first lesson in ethics, according to Socrates, is “Give to your neighbour all things you need for food, shelter, peace and the good life. All things except your good for which you give them.” While being virtuous he would never insult his neighbour, and never ever even insult him with the word “good” for which he would call it a good thing. Instead of helping his neighbour, which is where that good life began, Socrates would give his friend all things he needs for the good life, even things he doesn’t know, like soap and shampoo, so that he could use as much of his savings to feed his family and make more money. In fact, Socrates was saying one of the big things when he first raised his children in the house that “I don’t care that it got dirty, it don’t matter, it’s not a problem anymore. I don’t care that the water is leaking out in the kitchen now, it’s not dirty anymore. I don’t care that it causes water to go up in the chimney. I don’t care that it causes water to go down in the sewers. These things are just things I care nothing about.” We still do today to this day. In the world of ethics, as in even the smallest things, we have a strong moral compass and our very existence in the world of ethics has a very strong positive moral compass. Socrates had never treated the world with such strict rules. He spoke of a moral compass that he could easily understand, because of his own experiences in various parts of the world. He would give little or no credit to the moral compass of one person or one culture or any of those countries, but it still had a strong moral compass. He would speak of the world which was different from the one that had existed, because of its socialization and cultural evolution. However, he did not write anything that was contrary to what the moral compass of that culture was. He wrote only the things that were considered good for the good life. Instead of praising a person’s character for their worth, he said, “Socrates, I don’t care if it got dirty, it don’t matter, it’s not a problem anymore. I don’t care that it causes water to go up in the chimney now, it’s not dirty anymore.” While living a virtuous life, he would give little or
Throughout the history of man, the most enlightened of us have strived to reach beyond ourselves. To understand the nature of the universe, and live in tune with it. All religions have this desire to achieve enlightenment at their core. Although it is usually completely overlooked and forgotten about, it is this sense that there is something more that we can achieve that drives the wisest of our society. Socrates knew this and was determined to spread his beliefs as far as possible. His commitment to this idea was strong and unwavering, proving just how much he valued the pursuit of wisdom and understanding. Socrates realized that nothing in this world was as valuable as an enlightened, open mind. He saw the need to teach this philosophy to all those he encountered and was determined to help all his fellow citizens grow and mature. The reason Socrates felt so strongly about his ideas was that he knew it was the most important part in building a peaceful, intelligent, and flourishing society. A civilization which values wisdom and virtue above all else encourages its citizens to better themselves mentally and morally, and would de-emphasize the importance of material possessions. By planting the seeds of wonder and commitment to greatness in all citizens a civilization would grow to be strong, smart and powerful.
To place importance on the feeble, trivial aspects of a society is to corrupt and weaken it. As history has proven, a society concerned with material possessions, and worldly positions of power is incapable of achieving greatness in the most important sense. What good are power, wealth, and land if it not used to better all mankind? These things cannot make people happy, no matter how much they have. There is always more to obtain, always something else to get. The rich are rarely content, and the poor continually long for riches. It is this endless cycle that Socrates was attempting to break. When people occupy their time and their minds with how they can gain more, they cannot be happy. If a man learns to accept life, enjoy it, and understand it as much as possible, then he can find joy in the smallest of things. It is not hard to be happy when you are content with yourself and do not worry about what you have, dont have, and want to have. These are the worries that most people let engulf their lives. The stress consumes them until they are nothing more than a tool, working for money just to spend money and have more things. It is a sad cycle that many spend their entire lives in, most without even realizing it. To see the beauty of the world, the first step is acceptance. The Acceptance of life, what you have, what you dont have, and more importantly what you dont need. Many people to this day live with no concept of possessions, money and class structure. They seek only what they need to survive, nothing more. These people are also the happiest and most content on the planet. If all you do is eat, hunt, make love and sleep then it is impossible not to enjoy living. That is the truest message of Socrates.
By his own admission Socrates is a philosopher. A title that is hard to define by conventional descriptions.