Ethics

I'm taking an intro ethics philosophy class this semester, and my first assignment was to answer the following question. I just thought I'd post my response because I LOVE this kind of stuff, and I think it's so cool how everything points back to God. (I had fun practicing my biblical worldview!)

Question: Socrates argues that human ignorance is the cause of evil. Do you agree?

I initially began this post agreeing with Socrates’ claim that human ignorance is the cause of evil. However, with a bit more thinking, I chose to alter the statement. I believe that human ignorance is, in itself, evil and that human ignorance is the cause of evil simply because evil begets evil. The book states that Socrates equates knowledge with virtue, and I would have to agree with this concept. If knowledge equals virtue, than the opposite is also true – ignorance equals evil. Therefore, the more knowledge a person possesses, the less evil they possess. I feel that as one receives knowledge, he or she cannot help but to be changed by it. This knowledge is a cause that produces an effect and leads to the process of becoming more virtuous.

With all that said, I do not agree that “self-knowledge” is key but rather knowledge as an entity. In my opinion, it is impossible for one to reach full self-knowledge. People do things on a regular basis without any idea as to why. Even science falls short on explaining different human actions and reactions. If one cannot reach perfect self-knowledge, then it would follow that one could not reach a level of perfect virtue. Because of this, I agree when the book mentions that attaining perfect wisdom transcends human ability.

In order to measure something, you must have a standard to measure it against. Hence, it follows that if one is trying to measure his or her own level of virtue, a perfect standard of virtue must already exist. Socrates stated that this standard is knowledge, which I agree with; however, I feel that this poses another question. What exactly is that entity of knowledge? If it has the ability to cause change, doesn’t it have to be “living and active,” so to speak? Just some food for thought!