Platos Moral Psychology :: Argumentative Rationality Argument Papers

Platos Moral PsychologyI compete that Platos psychological theories ar motivated by concerns he had about moralistic theory. In particular, Plato rejects the modern account of keen-sightedity as the maximization of subjectively evaluated egocentrism because, had he adopted such an account, his theory of justice would be subject to criticisms which he holds are fatal to the contractarian theory of justice. While formulating a theory to remain within ethical constraints sometimes violates the canons of scientific theorizing, Plato avoids this mistake.The starting line serious account of justice Plato considers in the Republic is the contractarian account.(1) It holds that is always instrument eachy rational for one to further her aver interests and in that certain situations (exemplified by the prisoners dilemma) it is much rational to forego ones aver interests (providing others do so also) than to behave in a straight-forwardly rational way. The rules allowing one to escape prisoners dilemmasthe rules it is rational to accept providing all others accept them alsoare apparently the rules of morality. Hence it is rational to be moral.(2)Plato agrees that rationality requires opportunismed action. However, he distinguishes among perceived self-interest and material self-interest and argues that any apparent conflict between rationality and morality is simply a conflict between ones perceived self-interest and the requirements of justice. Pursuing of ones actual self-interest never conflicts with the demands of morality. Since, for Plato, it is more rational to pursue ones real, than ones apparent, self-interest, rationality and morality do not conflict. It is rational to be moral.Plato rejects the contractarian reconciliation of morality with individual rationality primarily because the thinks that the contractarian conception assumes that a persons motives for being just are necessarily based her self-interest, while our concept of the just person holds that to be truly just one mustiness value justice for its own sake. The contractarian account is also unacceptable because it has no foorce in the case of the Lydia Shepherd.(3) Finally, Plato holds that we must reject the contractarian account because a better account is available to us, viz., his own account of justice. But to show this Plato must establish each of the chase 1. There really is a difference between perceived self-interest and actual self-interest, that there can be a difference between what one believes to be in ones interest and what really is in ones interest. 2. get out an account of what ones actual self-interest is.(4) 3.