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The Ancient Greeks and Their Ideas on Human Values by Art Kane, M.A. Background 1. Socrates (469-399 BC), the first of the great Greek philosophers, believed that an unexamined life, a life without goals or purpose, was not worth living. He walked the streets of Athens questioning the citizens about their ideas concerning life, its purpose, and what these citizens thought was important for living a good life. Young people often gathered around Socrates and were amused when he questioned prominent Athenians who found it difficult to respond to Socrates' questions. A person who lives without goals or purpose is like a boat drifting with the current without anyone steering it. To live without goals or purpose is to live without thinking or planning ahead. Indeed Aristotle ((384-322-BC) expressed a similar thought in his belief that an unplanned life is not worth examining, for an unplanned life is one where we do not know what we are trying to achieve. This leads to a discussion of ends and means. Having a goal, a purpose, is to have an end, a target that we want to achieve. How we are to go about achieving that end is the means. Here are some examples of good ends to have: A. You seek to acquire a new car; the means you will employ is to work hard and save your money. To work for a new car is a good end but you cannot achieve it by stealing that car-that would be unacceptable. The principle here is: the end (good) does not justify using a bad means, that is, you cannot steal or cheat to achieve your good end. B. A higher end or goal would be your desire to graduate with good grades so that you can go to college. Your means can only be hard work and commitment to your studies. Cheating on exams or assignments would not be acceptable means for achieving your end, for this would be demonstrating a lack of respect for your own abilities which will remain unchallenged, as well as a lack of respect for your teacher and for your parents' expectations of you. Another key notion: The life goals or ends that are most worthy and uplifting are those that are the most difficult but lead to the greater achievement when acquired. For example, seeking to become a lawyer or a good teacher is more difficult and a higher goal than a more easily attained goal of acquiring a new car. 2. Plato (427-384 BC) defined the human soul as having three levels or parts: Rational, Spirited and Appetite. These levels correspond to the three engines of the body: mind (reason), heart (emotion), and stomach (desire). Plato uses the image of a charioteer who has the task of having to control his two horses: the charioteer is the mind or reason which must control the horses (emotion and desire) who are seeking to go in different directions. When we follow the direction our reason tells us is the correct course to follow, we will not be led astray by our emotions or desires. Reason will lead us to act responsibly, to do what we know is right, rather than be led by feelings that can have us go against what we know is right. 3. Aristotle (384-322 BC), a student of Plato who became a teacher in Plato's Academy, believed that to live a good moral life, a life of "virtue" as he called it, one had to act according to the "Golden Mean". By this he meant that we should follow the middle road between excess and defect, that is, between going too far (excess) in our actions or by not doing enough (defect). Here are examples: Excess (vice) Foolhardy Gluttony Exaggeration Wasteful Boastful Golden Mean (virtue) Courage Moderation Honesty Generosity Modesty Defect (vice) Cowardice Starvation Untruthful Stingy Very shy To have knowledge of what is right will lead us to live a life of virtue by observing the Golden Mean; to do otherwise is to live a life that demonstrates ignorance of what responsible and knowledgeable persons ought to do. 4. Thrasymachus, a contemporary of Socrates is recognized for his statement that "might makes right", a position known as Relativism. It means that there are no standards for determining right and wrong, that each individual can decide what is okay for him to act. For example, politicians can do whatever they wish in order to keep their office; a powerful developer can buy favors that will allow him to obtain zoning changes he wants; a car salesman can hide the defects of a vehicle in order to make a sale to someone less knowledgeable of vehicles. If Relativism was a ruling moral standard in society, chaos would exist in a community where order would be impossible when everyone was following what he or she judged was right for them without regard for any moral standards.

The Ancient Greeks and Their Ideas on Human Values

by Art Kane, M.A.

Background

1. Socrates (469-399 BC), the first of the great Greek philosophers, believed that an unexamined life, a life without goals or purpose, was not worth living. He walked the streets of Athens questioning the citizens about their ideas concerning life, its purpose, and what these citizens thought was important for living a good life. Young people often gathered around Socrates and were amused when he questioned prominent Athenians who found it difficult to respond to Socrates' questions.

A person who lives without goals or purpose is like a boat drifting with the current without anyone steering it. To live without goals or purpose is to live without thinking or planning ahead. Indeed Aristotle ((384-322-BC) expressed a similar thought in his belief that an unplanned life is not worth examining, for an unplanned life is one where we do not know what we are trying to achieve.

This leads to a discussion of ends and means.

Having a goal, a purpose, is to have an end, a target that we want to achieve. How we are to go about achieving that end is the means. Here are some examples of good ends to have:

A. You seek to acquire a new car; the means you will employ is to work hard and save your money. To work for a new car is a good end but you cannot achieve it by stealing that car-that would be unacceptable. The principle here is:
the end (good) does not justify using a bad means,
that is, you cannot steal or cheat to achieve your good end.

B. A higher end or goal would be your desire to graduate with good grades so that you can go to college. Your means can only be hard work and commitment to your studies. Cheating on exams or assignments would not be acceptable means for achieving your end, for this would be demonstrating a lack of respect for your own abilities which will remain unchallenged, as well as a lack of respect for your teacher
and for your parents' expectations of you.

Another key notion: The life goals or ends that are most worthy and uplifting are those that are the most difficult but lead to the greater achievement when acquired. For example, seeking to become a lawyer or a good teacher is more difficult and a higher goal than a more easily attained goal of acquiring a new car.

2. Plato (427-384 BC) defined the human soul as having three levels or parts:
Rational, Spirited and Appetite. These levels correspond to the three engines of the body: mind (reason), heart (emotion), and stomach (desire). Plato uses the image of a charioteer who has the task of having to control his two horses: the charioteer is the mind or reason which must control the horses (emotion and desire) who are seeking to go in different directions. When we follow the direction our reason tells us is the correct course to follow, we will not be led astray by our emotions or desires. Reason will lead us to act responsibly, to do what we know is right, rather than be led by feelings that can have us go against what we know is right.

3. Aristotle (384-322 BC), a student of Plato who became a teacher in Plato's Academy, believed that to live a good moral life, a life of "virtue" as he called it, one had to act according to the "Golden Mean". By this he meant that we should follow the middle road between excess and defect, that is, between going too far (excess) in our actions or by not doing enough (defect). Here are examples:
Excess (vice)
Foolhardy
Gluttony
Exaggeration
Wasteful
Boastful

Golden Mean (virtue)
Courage
Moderation
Honesty
Generosity
Modesty

Defect (vice)
Cowardice
Starvation
Untruthful
Stingy
Very shy

To have knowledge of what is right will lead us to live a life of virtue by observing the Golden Mean; to do otherwise is to live a life that demonstrates ignorance of what responsible and knowledgeable persons ought to do.

4. Thrasymachus, a contemporary of Socrates is recognized for his statement that "might makes right", a position known as Relativism. It means that there are no standards for determining right and wrong, that each individual can decide what is okay for him to act. For example, politicians can do whatever they wish in order to keep their office; a powerful developer can buy favors that will allow him to obtain zoning changes he wants; a car salesman can hide the defects of a vehicle in order to make a sale to someone less knowledgeable of vehicles. If Relativism was a ruling moral standard in society, chaos would exist in a community where order would be impossible when everyone was following what he or she judged was right for them without regard for any moral standards.