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Lecture 05 Notes

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Inner and Outer Morality

 

Plan of the Lecture

I.    Inner Morality
II.   Outer Morality

I.    Inner Morality--A Note about the Argument

 
  • The argument for the existence of parts of the soul focuses on psychic conflict.  That is to say, we can distinguish the different parts of the soul when we see them conflict.  This phenomenon of psychic conflict is something Plato takes to be a common one, and a problem central to ethics People act badly when riven by conflicts, pulled in different directions
  • To become good, inner conflict must be overcome by development of virtues:
  1. Self-discipline
  2. Courage
  3. Wisdom to the degree possible
  4. Morality properly so called

II.   Outer Morality

A.   Two Presuppositions of Outer Morality

  • We are looking at a good society to learn what morality is.
  • Recall also good society has three classes of occupations: commercial, military and ruling class.

B.   Aspects of Social Goodness Located in Each Class of Citizen:

  1. Wisdom lies in the governing class (the guardians); it consists in ruling well.
  2. Courage lies in the military class (the auxiliaries); it consists in fearing right things.
  3. Self-discipline, or temperance, lies in the masses of society who are governed by pleasure and pain.
  • Question: What is the self-discipline the masses are supposed to cultivate? 
  • Answer: The masses learn to obey the rulers, those they recognize to be their natural superiors.
  • It's worth asking: how does this come about?  Is it desirable?

C.   Morality is found in the State as a Whole, Not in Any One Class of Citizen

  • A state exhibits morality in virtue of a relation between classes.  What is it?

"Seeing then, I said, that there are three distinct classes, any meddling of one with another, or the change of one into another, is the greatest harm to the State, and may be most justly termed evil-doing?  And the greatest degree of evil-doing to one's own city would be termed by you injustice? This then is injustice...and on the other hand when the trader, the auxiliary, and the guardian each do their own business, that is justice, and will make the city just." (434c)

  • Morality in a State is found when everyone is doing the job for which nature best suits him or her.

D.    The Perfectly Moral (or Just) Society

  • This is a society which fosters in its citizens just the sort of psychic integrity that Plato identified as good:
  1. Ordinary people, in whom the appetites dominate, are not driven by lust, ambition or greed.
  2. Those in whom spirit predominates are tempered by courage.
  3. Those in whom wisdom predominates cultivate wisdom and use it for benefit of all.
  • THEREFORE good citizens of the ideal state have just the qualities Plato argued good people should have.  This supports his account of morality.

E.   Consider: Why Would Plato Think a Good State is One of This Sort?

  • Notice that in this state, there is no social mobility, no ambition, little scope for individual initiative, and tight control.
  • Think of evils that beset his own society...

 

NEXT TIME: Clearly the job of making the state good rests most heavily on rulers. How do they learn to do their job?  How do they become good?
Copyright 2009, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. Weithman, P. (2006, September 19). Lecture 05 Notes. Retrieved November 23, 2009, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/philosophy/introduction-to-philosophy/lectures/lecture-05-notes. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons License