Socrates claimed that virtue is knowledge. He identifies that two terms as being identical (Reshotko, 2006). Virtue is knowledge and knowledge is virtue. There are two claims which help make sense on the claim of Socrates that knowledge is virtue. These are those which relate to the understanding of what is good and how it gives people advantage, and what is evil and how creates harm to people. The default perception of people is to always go for that which they believe will give them an advantage and not cause any harm. It is therefore not knowledge alone but that which is knowledge of the good. Knowledge is therefore necessary for one to be able to live their lives in virtue.
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Humans have the freedom to do whatever they want. It is present to the extent that a person takes control of his life, makes decisions of his own and lives his life in whatever way he wants to. The presence of freedom gives one also the freedom to choose which he bases on his thoughts. When we have the knowledge of things and awareness of the things around us, we can choose what we think is right or beneficial for us. Knowledge gives us the freedom to choose which is right and wrong, which is bad and good. And by this knowledge and the exercise of our freedoms, we choose those which are good and beneficial, giving us lives living in virtue.
An examination of things that benefit humans are given in the discussion; and these things are health, strength, beauty and wealth. These are the things that humans consider as beneficial, yet such is not absolute since these are also things that can harm humans. They are viewed as good if it leads to happiness and viewed as bad if it leads to harm (Reshotko, 2006). These are different types of human experiences since most people’s lives are caught in things that have little or no importance to those that are of extreme importance. These experiences are viewed differently from people to people. Same way as these experiences are looked at as bad or good. Say for instance, you taste coffee. We feel the enjoyment there but such is not lasting and may only be for a few seconds or minutes. However pleasant such a taste or experience may be, it is in no way a significant part of every person’s lives. Something that is valuable for only a few minutes is not really valuable and does not deserve serious concern.
There are qualities of the soul and these are moderation, justice, courage, intelligence, memory, munificence, and all such things. Humans think and act toward things which they deem are good for them. Religion as a particular part of humans’ lives can be very influential in providing people with what is right and wrong and also with an image of how they view themselves and others. The fact of one being virtuous comes from the fact of knowing something as being good or bad. Knowledge of someone in choosing what is right or wrong, bad or good necessarily arises from the fact also that one is living a life that is virtuous.
Many examples of living in virtuous state could be given. These virtuous instances are all anchored on beauty or seeing something good in what they do. The painter who paints something beautiful lives in the eternity of that beauty in his painting. The scientist who devotes his life to finding meaning in things lives in the eternity of that meaning. The mother who gives herself to take care of her family with love is an instance where that is what is perceived as good and thus choice to do that comes from that knowledge. We admire heroes, for instance, and all those who have lived their lives in high ideals. We sense meaning in the lives of these people. This shows that to desire beautiful things is to desire good things (Denise, et al, 2007). It is true that there are some people also who desire bad things. The reason may be because they believe such are good things or the reason could be because they desire such things to be good even if they are aware that they are not. But those who desire good things have not lived for the sake of satisfactions and pleasures which are in passing only but they have lost themselves in values, living in virtue through knowledge, which will always be remembered forever.
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Society provides man with a language and ways of expressing oneself and it is in terms of that language that man is able to communicate and assert his values, desires and ideals. Through this, we can see whether a person is living life in virtue or not. We cannot delve into his unconscious and what he thinks, but such is acted out into reality by what we see. If we see someone is virtuous, such therefore comes from knowledge of what is good and what is bad. But the argument is not to the extent that it is all knowledge that is needed for one to have virtue. Practical knowledge is being referred to in this case. As Socrates put it, to know the good is to know how to live well, how to bring it about that one’s soul properly cared for (Denise, et al, 2007). Knowledge is necessary but not what is all important. Thus, as Socrates correctly argued, knowledge is virtue and virtue is knowledge. They co-exist and depend on each other. One is not what it is if not for the other. Knowledge comes from the fact of being virtuous. Virtue arises from the fact of knowing what is good and evil
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