PHL244H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Plau Am See
Document Summary
Virtue is one thing called by several names and it is composed of parts; like parts of a face, like parts of gold. What it is to be good, is to be pleasant; the measure of the good is pleasure. When socrates presented this question, it seemed like the answer is yes. Portagoras said numerous times that good is not pleasure; his grip on the view is weaker than he thinks, though. There are some good pleasures, but some bad ones. The many (ordinary people) seem to think that good is pleasure. Remember that virtues are goods of soul; so we"re focusing on virtues that will be excellence/perfection of the soul. So socrates is going to argue that two thesis are incompatible; it is going to imply that the soul is rational through and through. Putting the body aside, we are rational beings.
