Philosophy 2030 Spring, 2016 Class #3 Title: Introduction to Ethics Instructor: Paul Dickey E-mail Address: pdickey2@mccneb.edu Class Website: www.quia.com Create your own userid & password. Assignment for Tuesday, 3/22 Nina Rosenstand, The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics, 7th Edition, 2013. Chapter 8, pp. 391-400. 406-412

History of Western Philosophy in Five Minutes Video

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The Father of Western Philosophy Socrates, 460-399 B. C. Socrates' deserves credit for rigorous, ethical investigation. His conversations with his fellow Athenians are the first records we have of an individual, by careful reasoning, trying to discover the guiding principles of moral choices. Socrates engaged himself in questioning students in an unending search for truth. He sought to get to the foundations of his students' and colleagues' views by asking continual questions until a contradiction was exposed, thus proving the fallacy of the initial assumption. This became known as the Socratic Method, and may be Socrates' most enduring contribution to philosophy. “Teaching by Asking Instead of by Telling” 4

Socrates was both a real philosopher and the major character in Plato’s (his student’s) dialogues. Thus, it is not clear to what degree Socrates was a precursor to Plato’s ideas or was a mouthpiece for Plato to put forward his own views. Plato’s dialogues demonstrate that Socrates was in the profound pursuit of how one should live. In The Apology, Socrates defends his way of life. He proclaims that his mission came from a divine commandment to seek wisdom. Thus, he questioned everyone he professed knowledge to find wisdom, only to find that the wisest man is he who knows he does not know. Even in the face of death, Socrates proclaims he can act no differently. It is better to obey the gods than man. The unexamined life is not worth living. His pursuit of philosophy is following the instruction of the gods. 5

the Socratic Search for How to Live Plato’s Dialogues & the Socratic Search for How to Live In the Crito, Socrates is awaiting execution in his prison. Crito suggests that for the benefit of his friends and family, Socrates should escape. “It is the opinion of all of your friends, Socrates.” Socrates replies that in order to act on reason alone, Socrates asks Crito what is right and wrong and we must not follow the “morality of the many” but follow what is truly right. Socrates further argues that what is the right way to live consists in obeying the state in which we have contracted to live. Thus, we must obey the laws of the society in which we live, even when those laws and actions are unjust. 6

Video – Ethics: What is Right?

Sherman Alexie, Smoke Screens Discussion 8