Lecture 2: Why Be Moral

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Lecture 2 Why Be Moral?
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• What if there were no tomorrow?
• Would that change the way you live?
• Would it change our reasons for being moral?

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• For the lead character in Groundhog Day (1992),
  there is no tomorrow. He has become trapped in
  the same day every morning he wakes up in the
  same day.
• What are the implications effects of this?

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• movie clip 3100-3600

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Plato (427-347BC), Athens

• Platos story, that illustrates the same point,
  is the Ring of Gyges.
• Gyges was a shepherd who

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• Plato (Socrates) tells the story at the beginning
  of Republic, in a discussion about the nature of
  justice.
• A character called Thrasymachus is making the
  claim that might is right, but Socrates and his
  followers are dissatisfied with this claim.

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• Socrates friend Glaucon challenges Socrates to
  prove that justice really is good for us to
  prove that Gyges did the wrong (foolish) thing in
  using the ring the way he did.
• Glaucon wants to be shown that the just man is
  happier than the unjust man.

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• This is a crucial feature of Platos ethics
  being good is supposed to make you happier.
• Glaucon distinguishes between 3 kinds of good
  thing

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• Things enjoyed for their own sake (eg. pleasure).
• Things enjoyed for their own sake and for their
  consequences (eg. wisdom, health).
• Things enjoyed just for their consequences (eg.
  visits to the dentist).

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• Which type of good is the highest?
• The second of course they are both pleasurable
  and beneficial.
• The challenge is for Socrates to show that
  justice (or, morality) is of this type.

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• Glaucon encourages Socrates by stating the
  contrary case the case against justice
  morality, as strongly as he can.
• Sceptics about justice will say

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• Justice is a self-interested contract between men
  who find they cannot commit injustice
  perfectly.
• We follow justice against our will given the
  opportunity (like Gyges) wed all be unjust.
• The unjust man is happier (more successful,
  wealthy, etc) than the just man.

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• The challenge for Socrates is to show that these
  popular, cynical ideas are not true. The
  challenge is to show that even if we could get
  away with injustice it would still be best for us
  to choose the life of justice (morality).

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• And that is what Plato, in a very roundabout way,
  sets out to do in Republic.

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• Next week sign up for tutorials, after
  Wednesdays Lecture.
• Read Plato extracts Part I Ring of Gyges and
  Part II Harmonious Soul.