| Socrates and the Necessity of Virtue for Happiness |

In his dialogue with Gorgias, Socrates brings forth the claim that virtue is a necessary requirement for happiness. The initial reaction of Gorgias is arrogance and disdain, but through further interaction Socrates brings Gorgias to accordance with his perspective through the use of analogy and comparison. What is the skillful line of reasoning that Socrates employs to bring about such a radical conversion in belief?

Socrates first claims in his dialogue with Polus, one of Gorgias’ pupils, that

" …a man who acts unjustly, a man who is unjust, is thoroughly miserable, the more so if he doesn’t get his punishment for the wrongdoing he commits, the less so if he pays and receives what is due at the hands of both gods and men.

(Gorgias,p. 37b)"

He further claims that it is more desirable to be subject to injustice than to do injustice, along the following lines of reasoning:

1. (474c) Doing injustice is more shameful than suffering injustice.
2. (475b) If one thing is more shameful than another is, then either it is more painful or worse than the other is.
3. (475c) Doing injustice is not more painful than suffering injustice.

Conclusion: Doing injustice is worse than suffering injustice, hence suffering injustice is more desirable than doing injustice (475e).

Of course, Socrates claims his arguments aren’t meant for the majority (474a)- they are targeted towards an enlightened few of his peers. His claims may at first seem surprising- a view that punishment would make an evil man happier than if he went unpunished- but Socrates has a very simple manner in elucidating his viewpoint. Moral virtue is analogized to be the health of the soul, and vice is seen as its disease. The man who keeps evil in his heart and doesn’t rid himself of it is the one whose life is the worst (478e)- to seek rectitude is the only cure for this. Rejection of moderation is the voluntary weakening of one’s own heart and soul. A man of virtue and justice is able to find a stable source of contentment, is in more control over his own will. The seeker of pleasure is in a continuous search for temporary gratification. A completely good man

"…does well and admirable in whatever he does, and that the man who does well is blessed and happy, while the corrupt man, the one who does badly, is miserable. (507c)"

This simple analogy to health and disease of the soul clearly illustrates the consequences of a life lived by either virtue or vice.

| Aristotle and ipso facto Ethical Virtue |

According to Aristotle, the person who knows what is ethically virtuous to do ipso facto is not necessarily ethically virtuous. Knowledge is not logically self-sufficient for virtue. Rather, virtue arises from desire, deliberation, and intention.

We first learn of virtue from our peers and role models, seeing in them the correct actions to take and modeling our own behaviors upon theirs. This can be called intellectual virtue; however, it is not true virtue. It is only the action of parroting others - the first step towards attaining virtue, but only a developmental phase through which one passes in one’s character development. True virtue lies in excellence of the soul, and can be classified as character virtue.

Aristotle explains:

"…But surely such actions [mimicking virtue] are not enough, even in the case of crafts, for it is possible to produce a grammatical result by chance, or by following someone else’s instructions. To be grammarians, then, we must both produce a grammatical result and produce it grammatically¾ that is to say, produce it in accord with the grammatical knowledge in us.

(Nicomachean Ethics, p. 22, 1105a, lines 22-26)"

The virtuous person has learned the fundamental concepts of virtue and incorporated them into his or her character. He or she has contemplated the alternative decisions in a given situation and decided upon a course of action based upon the ethical merit of that action. The development of virtue is outwardly expressed in an individual’s choices- but more deeply incorporated into the psyche. The decision is based upon an internal "firm and unchanging state (p. 22, 1105a, line 35)." A person who does what is ethically virtuous but does so only superficially is "like a sick person who listens to the doctor, but acts on none of his instructions (p. 22, 1105b, line 15)." This attitude would not improve the state of the patient’s body, nor would this attitude towards philosophy improve the state of the person’s soul.

| Socrates and Prerequisite Conditions for Happiness |

Does one need money in order to be happy? Socrates is a firm believer that this is not the case- all we need in order to be happy is to live a moral life. Moral virtue is internal, hence it is impossible for it to be taken away from us. Socrates would assert that even a person tortured or put to death would be happy as a consequence of having lived a moral life. He tells Polus, "I say that the admirable and good person, man or woman, is happy… (Gorgias p.34, 470e)."

To cultivate moral virtue is to cultivate strength of will and self-sufficiency. The moral person finds solace in the comforts of spiritual and intellectual satisfaction. Money, success, or power does not grant peace, but the desire for more appeasement through material comforts- which are inherently temporary and lead to a self-perpetuating feedback loop of desire and craving. Socrates further tells Polus, "Injustice, then, lack of discipline and all other forms of corruption are the greatest evil there is… (Gorgias, p.46, 477e). It is moral virtue, regardless of financial status, that determines one’s state of happiness. The absence of moderation, which leads to corruption, the "greatest evil," is the cause of unhappiness.