An Appraisal of the Metaphysical Foundation of Platonic Ethical Theory and Its Relevance to the Moral End of Human Life

Abstract

Platonic moral philosophy is fundamentally established on virtue-eudaemonistic idea of Ethics in which happiness is identified as the ultimate moral desire and objective end of human life. This onerous end is attainable through the cultivation of cardinal virtues for honourable characters that are inherent and conceivable in human nature. Plato demonstrated that every creature, including man, is naturally endowed with the teleological principles already established in the natural law to obediently navigate accordingly toward harmonious and objective end. He articulated arguments to justify that human beings have the capacity to know ethical principles and cardinal virtues to cultivate habitual characters inherent in human nature for the attainment of moral happiness and sustenance of the harmony in the universe, as well as with the divine. The aim of this paper is to examine the basic terms that Plato used to demonstrate how human beings can attain moral happiness by which their characters can sustain the internal harmony that characterised their human nature and external harmony evident in the universe. A thorough evaluation of Plato’s moral philosophy showed that his moral foundation is not only rationalistic, it also demonised human emotions. Therefore, his moral principles are more acceptable among the angels or spirits than human beings that are composed of rational and emotional elements, neither of which is subservient to the other in the attainment of the moral end of human life.