In his conversation with Polus in Gorgias, as elsewhere, Plato's Socrates argues that no-one ever knowingly does wrong. We always act for what we perceive to be the good, and if our actions are not good, this is because we ignorantly take too narrow a view of the good (perhaps it seemed good for ourselves, but we overemphasized this to the exclusion of the bad it would create for others).
The question comes up in the context of a tyrant, who Socrates concedes has the power to do as he sees fit, but denies that this is the same as doing what he wants (by which Socrates seems to mean what he really, really wants -- i.e. that which is genuinely beneficial).
Do you think this Socratic view is at all defensible, or does our more sophisticated modern understanding of the complexity of human motivation make Polus' more common-sense view more plausible?
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I think this Socratic view is defensible. I agree with it. I do not think society is raised into the socratic view. The majority does believe there is evil in people and they realize they are doing bad and do it anyway to be evil. And I think this is adopted because it is easier for people to grasp. Otherwise, people would have to consider the person was not viewing a larger perception but a more narrow one and instead of discarding the person as evil and just locking them up to place them out of the realm of possibly influencing society with their evil, people would have to admit to themselves that this criminal (in the socratic view) did not choose evil (bad) but was confused and misguided with the decision the person made and did think the decision was good. Then under a moral understanding of helping one another produce the good of each other, and understanding now the criminal does have a view of good, just a misguided one misconceived as evil, and therefore has the capabilities and worth to find the good path, people would then have to spend more time and consideration to help this person. This is the harder, longer route. The easier route is to pin the criminal as not having any worth because of the decision and not be willing to understand the criminal may be well, if not definitely capable(as socrates would believe) to choose the good path if guided toward it. By taking the easier route people have more time to think of themselves and what is good for them, not maybe what would be good for them is the good of others.
I think it is not so easy to know what is most beneficial for one's well being in today's society. It takes effort to go through self reflection and weigh the consequences of every action, and to weigh what is beneficial now with what will be beneficial in the long run (the really good). If one did not know they were in the wrong, I assume that one was acting for immediate pleasure or benefit (what they perceived to be good) and did not know or take the time to consider if the action will be beneficial beyond the immediate. I think Socrates would argue that the most beneficial thing one can do is to purify the soul (what one really wants), and conversely, the most evil thing would be to corrupt one's soul, and acting for the immediate benefit can often corrupt one's soul. That one may not realize this for sometime, if ever, however, and be unaware of the harm that one is causing not only others, but that oneself. I think Socrates' argument is plausible, in that no one would want to erode one's character or mental facilities if that one knew the value of such things, and the consequences of eroding them.
ben- are you saying someone who corrupts this person's own soul, or someone who corrupts another's soul? I don't think your saying the latter but I'm unsure...
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