Socrates Conception of Law and Justice

Socrates’ philosophy had a great influence on shifting thinking from basic scientific principles to matters that would satisfy the soul. Plato, one of his students, recorded many of Socrates’ teachings. Socrates was born in Athens. This is the place where he lived and where he came up with most of his ideas. A great philosopher based his conception of justice on the principle: â€Å"The man who is good is just†.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Socrates’ Conception of Law and Justice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Socrates advocated the idea that justice was good, and that meant that injustice was equal to evil. Furthermore, he emphasized that good was a natural deed and not what man thinks he needs. In addition, he said that a person’s nature was an inner self that needed fulfillment, thus the desire to do good was natural. Providing the explanation of relationship between goo d and justice, Socrates presented the example of an ill seeking treatment, and who gets a cure and, is finally happy. He also gives the example of another man, who is completely healthy and is, therefore, happier. The point he makes here is that justice is the cure for evil, and that a man who never commits an evil deed do not need to be punished, and thus, happier than a man punished for his misdeeds (Vlastos 300). Socrates explains the role of justice in man’s life by stating that men should do harm to enemies when they are evil, and be just to those who are good. He, however, does not accept this chain of thoughts, as, according to his belief, doing harm to others makes more harm to ourselves. This was the beginning of the concept that individual should not harm anyone, even his enemies. Socrates also explains that men fall into pleasures of doing harm to those who harm them instead of being just. Summing up his idea of justice, Socrates declares that to be a poor man who is just is better than being a rich man with wealth acquired through injustice, because injustice taints the soul. In the Crito, there is a dialogue between Socrates and Crito in Socrates’ prison cell. Socrates was awaiting for his execution, but Crito notes Socrates’ peacefulness, his calm way, and his lack of fear in front of the face of the death. This leads to a debate, because Crito assisted Socrates’ escape, and he argues that accepting death would be a great victory of his enemies. He also adds that Socrates was responsible for the education of young people and could not leave them behind as orphans. In his response, Socrates insists that reason will guide his decisions unlike the masses that are dependent on random acts as a guide. He asks Crito what the laws say about his escape, and he proceeds to state that the Laws say that a resident’s position in reference to the municipality was like a child in reference to the parent, or like a slave to hi s master.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He explains that he made a deal with the Laws by remaining in the city and benefiting from it, and that he could not now condemn it on the basis that he was unjustly accused. He further states that the Laws argue that he accepted to obey the law by remaining in Athens after having attained maturity and raised a family within the city walls. Socrates tells Crito that he does not agree with the Law’s argument, but asks if they should accept it, and Crito says that they should. This brings the debate, and then Socrates is executed. We can sum up Socrates’ conception of law and justice in the Crito, and the Apology as the understanding of what is good means, and that accepting law as justice is important because we accept the law that governs us, and by residing in the law’s jurisdiction, we are subjected to its implementatio n. Works Cited Vlastos, Gregory. Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher. United States of America: Cambridge University Press, 1991. This essay on Socrates’ Conception of Law and Justice was written and submitted by user Joslyn Carver to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Definition of intelligence Essay Example

Definition of intelligence Essay Example Definition of intelligence Essay Definition of intelligence Essay One area of particular interest is intelligence. The first issue is the definition of intelligence. Some see intelligence as related to adaptation to the environment, the qualitative aspects. But most definitions relate to the quantitative aspects of intelligence, the measurement of intelligence using psychometric tests, in order to compare how much of it different people possess. In 1911 Binet developed what is generally accepted as the first intelligence test, with the aim of identifying children who needed extra academic help. He did this by developing a range of questions and establishing how old a child should be when it could first answer them, children who took the test could then be compared to what was considered to be the norm. As with all areas of the nature nurture debate there are some extreme views. One such view is that of Galton, a nativist. In 1884 he wrote a paper on hereditary genius, in which he showed that eminent people in society tended to be related, and that genius seemed to run in families. He argued that this showed that intelligence must be inherited (Hayes and Orrell 1998, P.31). Behaviourists would argue this view by pointing out that something that runs in families does not necessarily happen because it is genetic, as families also provide a certain environment, and this can also have a substantial influence on intelligence. An example of this is Skeels (1966) study of a group of children removed from orphanages into more stimulating environments. Most of those raised by foster mothers showed significant improvements in their IQ, whereas those raised in the orphanage had dropped out of high school, or were still institutionalised or not self-supporting. Gender identity is another area of the nature nurture debate. One argument is that girls and boys learn to behave differently through being treated differently and by observing others and imitating what they see to be sex-appropriate behaviour. For example, boys are given cars and guns to play with, their rooms decorated in blue with an emphasis on more boisterous play and assertive behaviour, whereas girls are given dolls and wear pink dresses with an emphasis on nurturtant behaviour. The opposing argument is that males and females are biologically programmed for certain activities associated with gender roles. A very famous, but sad, supporting example is that of David Reimer. As a result of an accident during circumcision, one of a pair of identical twins lost his penis. At 22 months he was surgically castrated, oestrogen was given and a vaginal canal constructed. He was subsequently raised as a girl named Joan. Aged 4, Joan preferred dresses to trousers, took pride in her appearance and was cleaner than her brother. Psychologists Money and Erhardt (1972) used these findings to support the view that gender identity is inherited. In reality Joan suffered years of bullying and was an extremely unhappy adolescent. Just before her 16th birthday Joan decided to stop living as a girl and underwent sex change surgery just before his 16th birthday. He made several attempts on his life before having a second operation on his penis aged 21. He did meet and fall in love with a single mother of three children, but his unhappy childhood continued to haunt him until he committed suicide in 2004, he was in his late thirties. (Gross 2005, P.626) In conclusion, and after taking into account all the evidence I dont think it is possible to say that any aspect of human development happens purely because of biological or environmental influences. I would have to agree with the interactionists and say that human traits are determined by both nature and nurture, though Im sure the debate over the relative contributions of each will continue until the end of time. Bibliography Sources Hayes, N., and Orrell, S., 1998.  Psychology an Introduction. 3rd ed.  Essex: Pearson Education  Gross, R. 2005.  Psychology The Science of Mind and Behaviour. 5th ed.