Description
Socrates urged his followers to commit to a lifelong activity of nurturing the moral health of the soul through self-examination. By contrast, modern philosophers who follow Aristotle in ethics have mostly taught that living well depends on having virtues or traits that are robust traits of character. But traits are not reliable in all situations, and they do not help us make hard decisions. Having a trait is no substitute for the Socratic activity we need to practice in order to live toward virtue.In Living Toward Virtue, Paul Woodruff shows how we can set about living ethically, drawing on what Socrates called Human Wisdom - a philosophy centered on the recognition of the limits of our moral knowledge. Woodruff uses this ancient set of ideas to develop a practical approach to ethics that goes beyond what Plato tells us of Socrates, in order to show how we can nurture our souls, enjoy a virtuous happiness, and avoid moral injury. Paul Woodruff's Living Toward Virtue shows how richly a Socratic approach to the moral challenges of life can reward us.
Table of Contents
PrefaceTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsAbout the Author1. Practical Ethics1.1. Epimeleisthai1.2. Ignorance1.3. Injury: The Wounded Soul1.4. Impractical VirtueAppendix to Chapter 1: Moral Injury2. The Spirit of Socrates2.1. Socrates' Approach2.2. Socrates' Way2.3. Going Beyond Socrates3. The Shape of Virtue3.1. An Impossible Assignment: Confucius3.2. An Activity Good in Itself: Socrates3.3. The Adverb Problem3.4. Virtues of Imperfection3.5. Degrees of Human Virtue3.6. Self-examination3.7. Bad Luck and Moral Failure3.8. The Tragic View of Human Life4. Aiming at Virtue4.1. Moral Holidays4.2. Grand Aims4.3. Aiming Well: Commitments4.4. Competing Virtues4.5. Avoidance: Dilemmas and Injuries4.6 The Nature of Human VirtueAppendix to Chapter 4: Moral Dilemmas5. Human Wisdom and Practical Knowledge5.1. Ignorance and Aporia5.2 Self-knowing5.3. The Limits of Knowledge in Ethics5.4. The Theory Trap5.5 Judgment5.6. Virtues of ImperfectionAppendix 1 to Chapter 5: The Rectification of NamesAppendix 2 to Chapter 5: Socrates on Human Wisdom6. Resources6.1. Using Resources6.2. Internal vs. External Resources6.3. Community6.4. Human Nature and Virtue6.5. Justice6.6. Differences in Human Environment6.7. Friendship6.8. Love6.9. Expert Advice and Example6.10. Emotions6.11. Intuitions vs. Judgments6.12. Orientation to the GoodAppendix 1 to Chapter 5: The Jewish-Christian Ethics of LoveAppendix 2 to Chapter 5: How Elenchus Succeeds7. Living Toward Virtue7.1. The Beautiful Soul7.2. Love7.2. Other-regarding Virtues7.4 Rounding Up the Virtues7.5 Growth7.6. Self-repair7.7. Looking Behind7.8. Looking Ahead7.9. Happiness: "Paradise within Thee"Bibliography
