Overview
This lecture explores Plato's understanding of self-improvement, temptation, and moral psychology, focusing on the roles of knowledge, desire, and internal conflict in human action.
Plato on Self-Improvement and Virtue
- Plato questions if virtue can be taught just by instruction or listening.
- True self-improvement involves more than acquiring knowledge; it includes practice and discipline.
- The sophist claim that virtue is teachable through knowledge is challenged by Plato.
Socrates on Temptation and Weakness of Will (Akrasia)
- Socrates claims we never act knowingly against what we believe is good (“no one does wrong willingly”).
- Temptation succeeds when the appearance of good (e.g., immediate pleasure) overrides rational knowledge of the greater good.
- Giving in to temptation is often a misjudgment of what is more desirable or pleasurable.
The Tripartite Soul
- Plato divides the soul into three parts: reason (rational), spirit (emotional/social honor), and appetite (bodily desires).
- Reason seeks truth and the good, spirit seeks honor and supports reason, and appetite seeks bodily pleasures.
- Internal conflict arises when these parts pursue different goods, especially when appetite opposes reason.
Pleasure, Good, and Action
- All human motivations aim at an apparent good, even if misguided.
- Acratic (weak-willed) actions arise when appetite misleads reason into judging a lesser good as greater.
- Reason can discipline appetite, sometimes through practice or habit rather than argument.
The Role of Spirit
- Spirit is usually an ally of reason and enforces rational decisions through feelings like shame or honor.
- True internal conflict is between reason and appetite, not reason and spirit.
Teaching Virtue and Moral Responsibility
- Teaching virtue is limited; practice and self-correction play major roles.
- Doing wrong is considered “unwilling” when it contradicts the soul’s natural desire for the good.
- Plato prefers correction (improvement of the soul), not blame or retribution, for wrongdoing.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Virtue — Moral excellence or goodness; for Plato, linked to knowledge but also practice.
- Akrasia (Acratic action) — Acting against one's better judgment due to temptation.
- Tripartite Soul — Plato’s division of the soul into reason, spirit, and appetite.
- Appetite — Soul part seeking bodily pleasures and basic needs.
- Spirit — Soul part seeking honor, pride, and social approval.
- Reason — Rational soul part aiming at truth and the ultimate good.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Reflect on how internal conflicts between reason, spirit, and appetite affect personal choices.
- If assigned, read further on Plato’s "Republic" (especially Books IV and IX) and "Protagoras" for deeper understanding.