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    The relationship between virtue in the soul and knowledge... — Carmelics
    Home/Virtue Ethics
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    The relationship between virtue in the soul and knowledge of the forms is not fully integrated in Plato's Republic

    Truth & KnowledgeVirtue Ethics
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    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Socrates says that virtue in the soul is happiness (580b–c)
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    • 2.Socrates also says that knowledge and contemplation of the forms is happiness (517c–d)
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    • 3.Having or exercising the virtues of wisdom, moderation, courage, and justice is different from knowledge and contemplation of forms
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
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    • 1.In the Republic, the Form of the Good is the unified source from which both virtuous soul-structure and epistemic ascent derive their normative force (505a–509b).
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    • 2.The tripartite soul's proper ordering just is the practical manifestation of rational apprehension of the Good, making virtue and knowledge structurally identical rather than merely correlated.
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    • 3.Julia Annas and Terence Irwin both argue that the philosopher-ruler's return to the cave demonstrates that contemplative knowledge and civic virtue are functionally unified, not separate happiness-candidates.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
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    • 1.The supporting argument conflates having virtues with exercising them, but Plato consistently treats the virtues in the Republic as stable dispositions constituted by correct rational governance, which just is knowledge of the Good.
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    • 2.Premise P3's claim that virtuous character differs from knowledge of forms relies on a post-Aristotelian distinction between intellectual and character virtues that Plato explicitly rejects through his intellectualist account of akrasia in Book IV.
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    Topics

    Virtue EthicsTruth & Knowledge

    Key Terms

    knowledge(Distinguished from mere true belief, which may be the product of indoctrination and need not exercise deliberative capacities.)
    Justified true belief — true belief that has been arrived at through the exercise of deliberative capacities, including comparison of and deliberation among alternatives.

    Related

    Having or exercising the virtues of wisdom, moderation, courage, and justice is ...In the Republic, the Form of the Good is the unified source from which both virt...Julia Annas and Terence Irwin both argue that the philosopher-ruler's return to ...Premise P3's claim that virtuous character differs from knowledge of forms relie...
    +5 moreShow less
    Socrates also says that knowledge and contemplation of the forms is happiness (5...Socrates says that virtue in the soul is happiness (580b–c)The relation between knowledge of forms and virtues receives different treatment...The supporting argument conflates having virtues with exercising them, but Plato...The tripartite soul's proper ordering just is the practical manifestation of rat...

    Similar

    The relation between knowledge of forms and virtues receives different...86%The Socratic identification of virtue with knowledge alone is insuffic...85%The virtues are united or reciprocal, each being an aspect or derivati...77%The virtue-theoretic account of knowledge cannot fully explain the kno...77%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: ethics-ancient
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    While moral theory occupies a significant portion of the Republic, Socrates does not say a lot about its relation to the epistemology and metaphysics of the central books. For instance, one might have expected the account to show how, e.g., reason might use knowledge of the forms to govern the other parts of the soul. Indeed, in Book VI, Socrates does say that the philosopher will imitate in his own soul the order and harmony of the forms out of admiration (500c–d). Since imitation is the heart
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit