Ethics

PHILOSOPHY ETHICS Socrates had the view that “knowing begets doing”. Is this always true' That most criminals commit crimes because they know better' OR Aristotle’s view that “virtues are found in the mean between two extreme vices” Who was right' Both the above quotes from Socrates and Aristotle have different meanings and a different nature behind them; and I think that in my opinion, both of their statements may give reasonable explanations philosophically to knowing begets doing, and virtues being in the mean between two extreme vices. I will analyse the two statements and compare and conclude who was right in the following paragraphs. From Aristotle’s view, I derived that a virtue is like the mean because it is the intermediate between two vices. On this model a triad is formed with one vice on either end (excess and deficiency appropriately), and the virtue as the mean, or around the half-way mark. . In Aristotle’s famous work, Nicomachean Ethics, it is stated that the four requirements for virtue are that the person: (1) Knows what he is doing, (2) Intends the action for its own sake, (3) Takes pleasure in it and (4) Does it with certainty and firmness. For example, based on Aristotle’s abovementioned statement, cowardice is actually opposed to bravery, while recklessness is an excess of bravery. This portrays two extreme ends, or vices, and a virtue in between of both, as the mean and intermediate factor. This statement can apply to various virtues in life, and Socrates’ view that knowing begets doing is from his belief that all virtues converge into one, which is the good, or knowledge of one's true self and purposes through the course of one’s lifetime. Socrates' view is often described as holding virtue and knowledge to be identical, so that no man knowingly does wrong. From the above statements about Socrates’ view, I think that it may be sensible and reasonable, as one has to know what to do, or what he is doing, or what he intends to do, or what he had done; before proceeding to actually doing the action, hence classifying it under “what he intends to do”. Therefore, like the old saying goes, “think before you act”, knowledge of the action he intends to do should be the first thought of one; in order to understand of the action he will be doing, and its purpose, thus once more coming back to Aristotle’s four requirements of virtue that I had mentioned above. All the statements of the requirements of virtue coincide and correlate with Socrates’ view that “knowing begets doing”, which I believe was the reason to Socrates’ belief that all virtues converge into one even before Aristotle had formed his own views. In my opinion, criminals commit crimes because they either know about the consequences better, but still do the actions, or that they do not know better and they do not think of the action and gain its knowledge before doing the action(s). Therefore, the criminals commit the offences. Knowledge of the future action, whether possessed in greater capacity or lesser capacity, of any person, including criminals, steers their minds to think of what will be the result of the Hence, I think that Socrates’ point of “knowing begets doing” may be true to most cases, and to a larger extent in the real world. In conclusion, I feel that both of Aristotle’s and Socrates’ views, beliefs and points are interrelated as they explain about virtues, how it is in the intermediate between two extreme vices, and about one knowing what he intends to do before doing i.e. understanding the aftermath, effects and purposes of his actions. Therefore, both are right in the sense that their statements mentioned above at the beginning interlink with each other and explain the meanings and explanations for them logically and reasonably. ************************************************************** Bibliography: I. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Socrates.html II. http://enlightenment.supersaturated.com/essays/text/dianamertzhsieh/aristotle_mean.html III. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicomachean_Ethics IV. http://www.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/web%20publishing/AristotleVirtueAsMean.htm