Plato's Moral Theory

The moral theory of Plato is unique in the sense that he believes the microcosm of the individual is a mirror of the macrocosm of the political/social state. To Plato, morality is an efficiency harmony of the whole achieved through the most effective use of the parts. Evil is nothing more than the parts of man or the parts of the state that are out of balance. Might does not make right to Plato because justice is not just strength and power but it is "harmonious strength-desires and men falling into that order which constitutes intelligence and organization; justice is not the right of the stronger, but the effective harmony of the whole" (Durant 39). Unlike Nietzsche's flawed view of the Superman as the individual who waxes his own abilities to their highest potential despite the impact on the whole, Plato views all morality as being directly linked to the good of the whole. The communal nature of man mandates the individual resisting the tendency of all humans to go with their more animal instincts for self gain as opposed to their more rational, intellectual ones relating to the good of the whole, "Morality begins with association and interdependence and organization: life in society requires the concession of some part of the individual's sovereignty to the common order; and ultimately the norm of conduct becomes the welfare of the group. Nature will have it so, and her judgment is always final; a group survives, in competition or conflict w

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the same man,�cities will never cease from ill, nor the human race" (Durant 23). How can such balance and harmony be achieved in men and women? By taking children away from their parents and educating them so they may have as clean a slate as possible. Further, since talent and genius are not predictable all children must have full equal access to educational opportunities. The actual schooling will resemble a process of elimination whereby students endure ten years of physical training followed by intellectual training. Those who are able to bring into harness their separate sources of human behavior and become at peace as a harmoniously acting whole will advance to the next stage and are the members of the human race that will be least capable of acting out of desire or emotion, thus less likely to act immorally. All men must deal with this challenge, but only a handful are able to successfully achieve it, "Certain of the unnecessary pleasures and instincts are deemed to be unlawful; every man appears to have them, but in some persons they are subjected to the control of law and reason, and the better desires prevailing over them, they are either wholly suppressed, or reduced in strength and number; while in other person

Category: Philosophy - P