Wisdom and Happiness

Term Paper # 97802

Philosophy > Ancient Greek

This paper explores Socrates' arguments about wisdom and happiness.

1,393 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2007 Australia

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Socrates' assertions that there is a universal longing for happiness, that wisdom is necessary in order for someone to live a happy life and that wisdom is actually the only thing necessary for happy life. The paper examines these arguments and is of the opinion that they are compelling, but contends that Socrates does not adequately defend his proposition that wisdom is sufficient for a happy life. The paper discusses some possible objections to Socrates' beliefs.

From the Paper:

"Socrates' arguments effectively support his claim, and clearly demonstrate at least one way in which wisdom enables its possessor to live a happy life. Socrates begins to develop his views by asking Cleinias a number of simple questions. These gently lead him towards ideas which, to begin with, resonate with those stated by Aristotle as being necessary for a life of eudaimonia - namely the possession of "many good things" . Together with Cleinias, Socrates develops a tentative list of what people readily regard as 'good things'. This contains health, beauty, wealth, good birth, power and honour: things that Aristotle labels 'external goods'."

Sample of Sources Used:

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 350 BCE, translated by W.D. Ross (http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html)
Chance, Thomas H. Plato's Euthydemus: Analysis of What Is and Is Not Philosophy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992
G. Thomson and M. Missner, On Aristotle, London: MacMillan, 1991
Plato, Euthydemus, 380 BCE, Translated by Benjamin Jowett (http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthydemus.html)