Socratic Virtue
Making the Best of the Neither-Good-Nor-Bad

An account of how Socrates integrates notions of desire and happiness to give an ethical and psychological theory.

Naomi Reshotko (Author)

9780521124263, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 3 December 2009

220 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.33 kg

Review of the hardback: 'In Socratic Virtue Naomi Reshotko clearly and forcefully presents a case for an intriguing and powerful interpretation and thus makes a valuable contribution to that ongoing conversation.' BMCR

Socrates was not a moral philosopher. Instead he was a theorist who showed how human desire and human knowledge complement one another in the pursuit of human happiness. His theory allowed him to demonstrate that actions and objects have no value other than that which they derive from their employment by individuals who, inevitably, desire their own happiness and have the knowledge to use actions and objects as a means for its attainment. The result is a naturalised, practical, and demystified account of good and bad, and right and wrong. Professor Reshotko presents a freshly envisioned Socratic theory residing at the intersection of the philosophy of mind and ethics. It makes an important contribution to the study of the Platonic dialogues and will also interest all scholars of ethics and moral psychology.

1. Introduction
Part I. The Socratic Theory of Motivation: 2. Socratic desire
3. Socratic egoism
4. Socratic intellectualism
Part II. Socratic Value: 5. The good, the bad, and the neither-good-nor-bad
6. Virtue and happiness: two different kinds of goods
Part III. Virtue and its Relationship to Happiness: 7. Does virtue make us happy?
8. Virtue as a science
9. Happiness, virtue, and pleasure
10. Reflections on Socratic ethics and the demystification of morality.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA]