Plato on Virtue and the Good Life (2024)

The Ancient Greek philosopher Plato has a lot to say about happiness, virtue, and the rest of life in his masterful book, theRepublic.

I useThe Story of Ethicsin many of my classes, and the book contains an excellent discussion of Plato's philosophy regarding virtue and human fulfillment. Part of Plato's case for his view that we must be moral in order to be truly happy rests on a discussion of the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice.

• Wisdomhas to do with the intellect. For Plato, the wise person uses the mind to understand moral reality and then apply it to her daily life. The wise person is guided by rationality in the choices she makes.
• Couragehas to do with how we face adversity. It includes things like courage on the battlefield, but it also includes having the courage of one's convictions. In fact, Plato's mentor, Socrates, chose to die rather than sacrifice his deepest convictions. No doubt this deeply influenced Plato's views on the matter.
• Moderation(temperance, self-control) is related to our desires. Human beings have many desires, of course, and this is a good thing. The problem arises when we desire a good thing in the wrong way, or a bad thing at all. We must not let our desires for food, sex, or drink control our lives in a way that compromises our character.
• Justicefor Plato is related to one's overall character. The just person has a healthy soul, in which reason rules the appetites and our desire for honor. The just person is fulfilled, at peace, and truly happy. She is therefore able to contribute to the harmony and justice of her community.

Finally, let's do a little thought experiment. Imagine a genie showed up and offered you two different types of lives. Life #1 would include a series of illnesses, injuries causing chronic pain, and ultimately a long and unsuccessful bout with cancer. In Life #2, however, you avoid these challenges. You enjoy a lifetime of good physical health, and die of old age in your sleep. Which of these lives would you choose?

If you are rational, you would clearly choose Life #2. Plato thinks that we are in the same boat with respect to our moral health. The rational person would choose a life of wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice, rather than one of foolishness, cowardice, a lack of self-control, and injustice.

If we would choose physical sickness over physical health, we are irrational. Similarly, if we would choose moral and spiritual sickness over moral and spiritual health, we are making an irrational choice. We must choose to live well, if we want to be truly happy.

This is the 10th article in a weekly series on building character and building cultures of character. I'll be posting these articles on Tuesdays. Feedback, questions, and any suggestions for improvement are welcome! I'm taking a break for a bit, and will resume the series this fall.