Plato Virtues

Socrates : Everybody wants happiness. How should the happiness be ? The universal welfare will
occur when man conducts in accordance with virtues.
1. All Change Theory – Everything Virtues
Prudence Courage Temperance Justice
Virtues : The attributes based on good actions and moral values, which reflect as good works in a
person’s conducts, are the Virtures.
According to Socrates – Everybody wants happiness. How should the happiness be – of universal
welfare that is instead of caring for only indivudual happiness, one should work for happiness of the
society as a whole, then only the universal welfare will materialize.
When a person conducts in accordance to the virtues, he will attain knowledge of the virtues. A person
will attain knowledge of virtures when he taught about them. Hence, the virtues are attainable. For the
welfare of the state and human beings, Plato has accepted four virtues as a part of moral conducts ,
these are – Justice, Temperance, Prudence and Courage.
In the state, prudence is necessary for administrator, courage for warriors, temperance for farmers and
the people in occupations. These three attributes are included in the justice.
Showing importance of these four virtues for man, Plato has elaborated that the first three virtues
control a person’s intellect, impulse and desire, in consequence of which the justice originates in man.
In order to answer the questions asked by Socrates – What is the courage ? What is the temperance ?
What is the justice? – Plato presented an imagination of their beliefs different and independent from
goods, virtues and activities.
According to Plato, the world of beliefs is the real world. The activities of physical and psychological
activities are replica of these beliefs. There is no existence of their independent power. Human beings
are able to get the knowledge of truth from the knowledge of beliefs. The beliefs are immortal, inconcrete
and perfect which can be understood by intellect instead of sense organs.
Plato has presented the belief of omen as the best and coordinator. It is the fundamental of truth, knowl
edge and beauty. Through the intellect man receives knowledge of beliefs of omen and attains knowledge
of the virtues.
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Aristotle’s Causation Theory Sankhya Philosophy
Everything has a — Satkaryavada
How – Cause
Why – Reason Nyaya – Vaisheshika Philosophy
Aristotle’s Causation Theory
Four kinds of Causes –
1. Material Cause
2. Efficient Cause
3. Formal Cause Satkaryavada + Asatkaryavada
4. Final Cause
Aristotle’s Causation Theory :
The theory interpreting causes of action :
Every incident in the world has some or the other cause. In other words, the cause is must for origin of
every incident. Everything has a cause.
Four kinds of a cause :
1. Material Cause : The material cause of any thing is to change the material which forms the thing. For
example, soil is the material cause of a mud pot. ‘ Material cause is always inherent within the object.’
2. Efficient Cause : The efficient cause is one which has the capacity to create. It is the doer. For ex-
-ample, A potter creates pot with his competence, labour, skill. It is also called competence cause.
3. Formal Cause : It is the form or shape of the thing which is imposed on it. Any shape of the pot is a
thought in the potter’s mind. He gives shape to the pot as per it which is called beliefs.
4. Final Cause : It is the aim of creating the object or thing.
Objective of creating an object or thing – the final form of the object or thing is received due to this
objective. The efficient cause and the final cause are assimilated in the formal cause.
The final cause is the air for which the object or thing is created, that is it is the psychological, final form for
which final shape is attained. Hence, it is assimilated in the formal cause. The efficient cause brings change
in the form of the object or thing. For example, the potter makes pot with soil but this change occurs due
to the final cause and the final cause is included in the formal cause. Therefore, the efficient cause is also
included in the formal cause. Thus, there are two fundamental causes – the material cause and the formal
cause. When the material acquires shape then the object or thing is created. So the Material + Shape =
Object (Thing).
Creation of an object means – conversion of probable in real.