2.9: Theory

Plato’s Theory of Knowledge

As we move forward in thinking about ethics, it is important to again question how we know what we think we know. The Greek philosopher Plato discussed four ways that we obtain knowledge. The first way is through conjecture and imagination or in other words the type of gut instinct or impression. When you first meet someone, how do you determine if they are friend or foe? At first, you usually have to go with your first impression which is “conjecture” since you are forming an opinion not totally based on facts.

A second way is one that we mentioned in the first chapter which is religious belief or faith, or what some call superstition. When encountering people throughout the world, it is important to understand how deeply some people believe in their religious teachings. Their whole life and their actions may be guided by these beliefs. Perhaps your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, influence you.

A third way was also mentioned in the first chapter which is through scientific knowledge. With this method, individuals base their decisions and their actions on empirical evidence that is presented as we scientifically study things. Some people do not hold religious beliefs and instead they put their faith in the weighing, counting, and measuring of things with the scientific method.

A fourth way is the way that Plato advocated which is the use of reasoning. Reasoning can be thought of as a type of abstract thinking wherein one balances multiple sources of information and then sifts through them to reach a conclusion. Plato thought this balanced form of thinking was important because he felt there were times when belief can guide people and there are other times when we need to use science to understand something and there are some times when trusting your instincts is a good idea. However, the best method is to combine them all and use your reasoning to reach an ethical conclusion.

Plato felt that we should all seek the virtues of goodness, wisdom, and justice as we exercise our ethical reasoning. It was Plato that stated “ Truth is the beginning of every good to the gods, and of every good to man.” Basically, seek for truth for the truth shall set you free. By thinking carefully about ourselves and the decisions we make in our lives as reasoned thinkers, we will live more ethical lives.

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Aristotle

Aristotle agreed that the ability to reason abstractly is very important for an ethical thinker. Aristotle referred to it as rationality. It was Aristotle that also discussed the importance of being introspective when judging yourself and others. He stressed that often people have a higher level of potential than what they are actually achieving at the present. He compared a person’s current state of being to the capacity of what they could become. He felt that it was important that people live their life in a way to try to achieve their highest potential. He also felt that it was important that leaders encourage others to strive to reach their highest potential.

So, in your life how hard do you push yourself to reach your full potential, to be all that you can be? Would Aristotle be proud of you? How can you encourage others around you to move from their current state to a higher capacity of what they could become?

Aristotle also discussed the concept of the “golden mean.” As rational thinkers, he felt that often we should strive to reach the middle point between two extremes. For instance, it is important to try to reach your full potential but yet you must not push yourself too hard or you could become too stressed and fail completely. Instead you should find the golden mean of pushing yourself but not too much.

Courage is another example of where the golden mean can make a lot of sense. In law, enforcement officers need to demonstrate courage in tense and sometimes dangerous circumstances. If you were a law enforcement officer and were called to a residence where there was a man with a gun on the porch waving it around and yelling would it be rational to show courage and simply walk straight up to the porch? Would it be rational to be afraid of firearms pointed in your direction by angry individuals in which case you would get back into your squad car and leave this call for someone else? The best approach to this situation obviously lies somewhere in the middle. Courage is not another word for foolishness, it is also not another word for cowardice. So instead, it might be wise to take cover behind your vehicle while trying to talk the suspect down. The courageous officer would be ready to rush the porch or perhaps shoot the suspect if need be to protect others, but their first attempt would be to talk to the suspect so that rationally no one gets injured. If one is courageous and smart, you are more likely to live to see another day while still performing your professional duties and protecting the community you serve.

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