Ethical philosophy is also known as moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that involves classifying, protecting and making recommendations on the concepts of what behavior is wrong or right. Ethical philosophy seeks to address issues such as outcomes and the basic standards by which man's actions can be judged whether they are right or wrong. Every human being has the responsibility to behave with total respect for himself and everyone else and for this reason he should also be attentive to others. Ethics seeks to explain that every person, woman or man, has the responsibility to behave with total decorum and at the levels accepted in society. Socrates and Baruch Spinoza, an ancient and a modern philosopher respectively, try in their philosophical works to account for ethical philosophy by trying to express opinions based on their understanding of what society would consider good or bad. In this work we will analyze the relationship of these two philosophers on ethics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Socrates and Baruch Spinoza are great philosophers who elaborately expressed their views on ethics in their works. Socrates believes that ethics develop through maturity, wisdom and love. Socrates was a teacher of ethics and acceptable standards of conduct. He firmly believes that the most significant issue that philosophy needed to urgently address was how people should live their lives, acceptable behaviors, and how people should coexist peacefully and healthily in society (Kant, 1994). Baruch Spinoza, a European philosopher, viewed ethical philosophy through theories of virtue in humans, the role humans play in nature, and how they relate to God. In his work, Spinoza uses a different metaphysics in which derives concepts to address issues related to ethics. According to him, the judgment of what is bad and what is good depends on human nature, his desires and his beliefs. Ethical philosophy is therefore a very educational field which has been widely accepted as very informative and educational as through it people all over the world are guided regarding acceptable behavior and upholding human virtues. Regarding ethical values, both Baruch Spinoza and Socrates attribute ethics to knowledge. Spinoza, in attempting to demonstrate that humans are part of nature and not an empire within empires, as many would say, brings out a sense of ethical implications. He attributes knowledge to respect for God and with this Spinoza tries to explain why God is supreme and therefore needs to be respected by man (Kant, 1994). Therefore respect and adoration of God is an ethical act. Socrates, an ancient philosopher, argues that one of the most important ways to be a good and moral citizen is to be informed. In this regard, Socrates states that the way to gain knowledge is to engage in meaningful dialogue with others and with nature. Both of these philosophers classify ethics as governed by individual knowledge despite having divergent views on the origin of culture itself. The two philosophers also have a relationship in how they classify virtue as the ultimate source of ethical conduct. Virtue is a behavior that shows very high moral values which are far better and acceptable in society. Spinoza argues that morality is a clinical ethic that serves as the basis of human happiness. Spinoza argues that virtue is the simplest gift from God to enable human beings to appreciate and understand nature (Kant, 1994). Socrates in his work equates the..
tags