Plato's Crito: Socrates' 3 Rules for Ethical Thinking
Summary
TLDRThis philosophical discourse explores Socrates' approach to ethical reasoning through his defense of his own death as depicted in Plato's 'Crito'. It examines three key rules of Socratic reasoning: the importance of rational thought over emotions, the need for independent judgment rather than public opinion, and the moral imperative to do what is right regardless of personal consequences. The video challenges viewers to consider these principles, inviting them to reflect on their own ethical decision-making and to experiment with applying Socratic rules in their daily lives.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Socrates defended his choice to die rather than escape as detailed in Plato's 'Crito'.
- 🧩 The approach to reasoning Socrates used focused on ethical reasoning.
- 🔍 Ethical reasoning involves examining assumptions and justifications.
- 📜 William F. Riken identifies three rules in Socrates' reasoning about his death.
- 💡 Rule 1: Decisions should not be driven by emotions but by the best reasoning.
- 🤔 Rule 2: Answers should not be based on general public opinion but on personal critical thinking.
- ⚖️ Rule 3: One should never do what is morally wrong; the primary question is whether an action is right or wrong.
- 🔥 Emotionally-driven thinking can cloud moral judgment.
- 🗣 Socrates argued that public opinion should not influence moral decisions; only informed and skilled individuals' opinions should be considered.
- 🧪 Applying these rules can involve experimenting in daily life to see how reasoning based on these principles affects ethical decision-making.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video script?
-The main topic of the video script is Socrates' approach to reasoning about his own death, as detailed in Plato's 'Crito,' and how this approach can help us think ethically.
What are the three rules of reasoning that William Free Kena identifies in Socrates' argument about his death?
-The three rules are: 1) We must not let our decision be determined by emotions but must examine the question and follow the best reasoning. 2) We cannot answer such questions by appealing to what people generally think; they might be wrong. We must find an answer ourselves that we regard as correct. 3) We ought never to do what is morally wrong; the only question we need to answer is whether what is proposed is right or wrong.
Why does rule one, which states we should not let our decisions be determined by emotions, make intuitive sense?
-Rule one makes intuitive sense because emotionally-driven thinking can cloud our ability to arrive at moral truth. For example, if emotionally heated, one might justify as moral something that is actually immoral, like lying to someone who has wronged you.
What is the potential objection to rule one regarding the role of emotions in moral decisions?
-The potential objection is whether some moral decisions are best made by letting gut feelings or intuitions rule rather than pure reason. Philosopher Michael J. Sigrist argues that ethical decision-making involves personal reasoning, which includes thinking with our feelings, desires, motivations, and values.
What is Socrates' response to Crito's argument that not escaping would damage Crito's public reputation?
-Socrates responds by arguing that we shouldn't care what people in general think about us when it comes to getting at moral truth. Instead, we should care about the opinions of those who fully understand the moral facts and can reach moral conclusions using those facts and general principles.
How does rule three suggest we approach moral decision-making?
-Rule three suggests that we should focus on whether an action is right or wrong, not on the consequences for us, what people will think about us, or how we will feel about the outcome. If something is morally wrong, we are morally obligated not to do it.
What are some historical examples that illustrate Socrates' point about ignoring public opinion in moral reasoning?
-The script does not provide specific historical examples, but an example might be civil rights leaders who acted based on what they believed was morally right, despite facing significant public opposition.
What does the video script suggest about the importance of evaluating our assumptions about ethical reasoning?
-The script suggests that bringing assumptions about ethical reasoning to light allows us to see whether they can be justified and helps us better reason ethically in various situations.
How might Socrates' commitment to rules one, two, and three influence our own ethical reasoning?
-Socrates' commitment to these rules might lead us to prioritize reason over emotion, think independently rather than follow popular opinion, and focus on the morality of actions themselves rather than their consequences.
What is the script's challenge to viewers regarding experimenting with ethical reasoning?
-The script challenges viewers to put themselves in Socrates' shoes and try reasoning like him as a test of a new way of reaching ethical conclusions. It encourages viewers to conduct 'experiments in living' by applying Socrates' rules the next time they face an ethical decision.
Outlines
🧐 Socrates' Unique Defense of His Own Death
Socrates, as depicted in Plato's 'Crito,' defends his decision to face death rather than escape it. This approach, which may seem odd, helps us understand ethical reasoning. The video, part of the 'Exploring Ethics' series, emphasizes the importance of questioning assumptions in ethical reasoning. Socrates follows three rules: decisions should be guided by reason, not emotions; public opinion should not dictate our moral choices; and we must avoid doing what is morally wrong, focusing on whether an action is right or wrong. These principles aim to enhance our ethical reasoning.
🤔 Evaluating Socrates' Ethical Reasoning Rules
The video examines the validity of Socrates' three ethical rules. Rule one suggests reason should guide decisions, but philosopher Michael J. Sigrist argues that emotions and personal reasoning play a crucial role in ethical decision-making. Socrates' second and third rules emphasize ignoring public opinion and focusing on moral truth, using the example of Crito's concern for public perception if Socrates doesn't escape. Socrates argues that moral truth is determined by those who understand moral facts, not by general opinion. The video invites viewers to consider these rules and their impact on ethical reasoning.
🔍 Applying Socrates' Rules in Ethical Reasoning
The final segment explores the practical application of Socrates' ethical rules. Viewers are encouraged to experiment with these rules in their own lives and report their findings. Questions are posed about the nature of ethical reasoning and how desire-driven reasoning might change under Socrates' rules. The video suggests conducting 'experiments in living,' as John Stuart Mill proposed, to test these ethical guidelines. Viewers are invited to share their experiences and continue engaging with philosophical thinking.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Socrates
💡Ethical reasoning
💡Plato's 'Crito'
💡Emotions
💡Reason
💡Moral truth
💡Rules of reasoning
💡Public opinion
💡Moral obligation
💡Philosophical life
💡Experiment in living
Highlights
Socrates mounted a defense for why he should die a horrible death, despite being able to escape it, as detailed in Plato's Credo.
Exploring Socrates' approach to reasoning about his own death can help us think ethically.
Ethical reasoning involves stating reasons why certain actions like stealing, lying, cheating, or hurting others are wrong.
William Free Kena identifies three rules governing Socrates' reasoning about his death.
Rule 1: Decisions should not be determined by emotions but by the best reasoning.
Rule 2: We cannot answer ethical questions by appealing to popular opinion; we must find answers we regard as correct.
Rule 3: We ought never to do what is morally wrong; the only question is whether an action is right or wrong, not the consequences.
Emotionally-driven thinking can cloud the ability to arrive at moral truth.
Historically, popular opinion has often been morally misguided or ignorant.
Critical and independent thinking is essential for making moral decisions.
Something morally wrong means one is morally obligated not to do that thing.
Socrates' commitment to rules 1, 2, and 3 can be objected by considering the role of emotions in ethical decisions.
Philosopher Michael J. Sigrist argues that ethical reasoning involves personal reasoning, including feelings, desires, and values.
Socrates argues that we shouldn't care about public opinion when determining moral truth.
Fear of what others think should not guide our moral decisions.
Applying rules 1, 2, and 3 can revise our understanding of ethical reasoning.
Conducting experiments in living, as suggested by John Stuart Mill, can help apply these rules in practical ethical decision-making.
The discussion encourages readers to test Socrates' approach in their own ethical reasoning and report back on their experiences.
Transcripts
it's odd for someone to mount a defense
for why they should die a horrible death
especially when they could easily escape
such a death
that's what Socrates did as detailed in
plato's credo what approach to reasoning
did Socrates take in defending his own
death answering this question will help
you better think ethically welcome to
the second installment of the exploring
ethics series
welcome to the philosophical life as a
professor I enjoy helping people think
ethically I'm glad I get to do that with
you today we reason ethically all the
time
we might state reasons why it's wrong to
steal from someone lie to someone cheat
on someone or otherwise hurt someone we
might try to justify charitable giving
to the most vulnerable there are
assumptions we make about the best way
to reason ethically however we hardly
evaluate these assumptions bringing the
assumptions to light allows us to see
whether they can be justified it helps
us better reason ethically when the
situation arises let's see the
assumptions or rules that govern how
Socrates reasons william free kena
identifies three rules governing
socrates reasoning about his death the
first rule we must not let our decision
be determined by our motions but must
examine the question and follow the best
reasoning - we cannot answer such
questions by appealing to what people
think generally they might be wrong we
must try to find an answer ourselves we
regard as correct we must think for
ourselves and three we ought never to do
what is morally wrong the only question
we need to answer is whether what is
proposed is right or wrong not what will
happen to us what people will think
about us or whether we what will feel
about what happened rule one makes
intuitive sense if I'm emotionally
heated I might justify as moral
something that's immoral
I might justify why it's okay to lie to
someone be
they've done something wrong to you
emotionally-driven thinking can cloud
the ability to Rive at moral truth
regarding to insulting the masses is
typically not a good way of figuring out
what's right or wrong at any point in
history a group of people could be
morally be' knighted or morally ignorant
about a moral issue it's best to think
critically and independently about moral
problems and choices regarding three
that something is morally wrong means
that one is morally obligated not to do
that thing instead of asking the meta
ethical question of the status of a
moral property like moral obligation as
connected to what's morally wrong we
simply take for granted the connection
then we focus our attention on figuring
out what's right or wrong now despite
the intuitive appeal of Socrates
commitment to rules one two three it's
possible to object to the rules let's
consider a couple of ways of objecting
regarding rule 1 is it true that
decisions are made best by letting
reason rule emotion or are some moral
decisions best made by letting gut
feelings or intuitions ie
what seems true rule the final decision
philosopher Michael J sigrist at the APA
blog argues that Ephesus aren't more
ethical than non ethicists because
impersonal reasoning about what morality
requires doesn't automatically point
over or transfer to trying to become a
morally good person that is trying to
act ethically in daily life involves
personal reasoning it requires that
cigarette says quote thinking with our
your feelings desires motivations values
and so on in quote thus perhaps steering
the ethical ship Isle based on reason
alone sort of misses the boat on making
everyday ethical decisions what do you
think
concerning 2 & 3 Socrates argues that we
shouldn't care what people in general
think credo tries to persuade Socrates
to escape he says that if Socrates
doesn't escape it will damage credos
public reputation people know cried out
could afford to pays for soccer
escape so when Socrates doesn't escape
people will think cried oh values money
above the well-being of friends now
Socrates responds in various ways to cry
to one way he responds is that we
shouldn't care what people in general
think about us when it comes to getting
at moral truth we should care about the
opinions of people who fully understand
the moral facts and are skilled enough
to reach moral conclusions using those
facts plus general principles fear of
people thinking poorly of us shouldn't
guide our moral decision what's an
example from history that illustrates
Socrates point imagine that rules 1 2 &
3 were true how would the truth of such
rules revise what you're committed to
regarding the nature of ethical
reasoning do you think for instance that
were reasoning is desire driven if so
how would rule 1 for instance lead you
to revise what you believe
how can you conduct to quote John Stuart
Mill an experiment in living
how can you attempt to apply rules 1 2 3
the next time you're faced with needing
to reason toward an ethical conclusion
imagine you're Socrates put yourself in
his shoes
how would you reason like Socrates as a
test of a new way of reaching at the
glue conclusions please report back on
any experiments in livin' conducted
leave them in the comments and as always
keep living the philosophical life
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