SOCRATES - MAN

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>SOCRATES</FONT><BR> THE EXAMINER</B></FONT></CENTER><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>Man</B></FONT><P> <BLOCKQUOTE>"Virtue comes to the virtuous by the gift of God. But we shall never know the truth until, before asking how virtue is given, we enquire into the actual nature of virtue."<P> (Plato "Meno")</BLOCKQUOTE> In a very real sense, Socrates is the first to make Man the subject as well as the student of philosophy. Socrates assumes that any person with whom he talks has the resources to answer his questions correctly, that is, that no specialist knowledge is required. These "universal" concepts are accessible to all who think and question. He ultimately bases this on the understanding that virtue is an instinct in all humanity which can be aroused through self examination.<P> Virtue can not be taught. It is a gift of God. Socrates seems to be the first Greek to speak of the soul (psyche) as the seat of knowledge and ignorance, goodness and badness. To do wrong was to damage one's soul. To avoid this, it was necessary to understand what virtue is. This is why it was so important to find a universally applicable definition of virtue. <BR clear=left><BR> <HR width=100%> <A HREF="http://www.creatorix.com.au"><IMG SRC="../creatorix.gif" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="40" BORDER="0" ALT="Creatorix" align=right></A> </BODY>