1. Plato, Morality, and The
Harmonious Personality
Rabeatuladelah Mohd Ridzuan
1028360
Fatin Munirah Abd Latif
1022018

2. Plato (427-347 B.C)
• Underscored by Alfred
North Whitehead
• Founded the ‘Academy’
at the age of 40
• Studied under Socrates
• Wrote ‘dialogues’between him and
Socrates.
– explored
moral, political, logical, r
eligious and
cosmological topics.

3. Self-realization Ethics
• Betterment of human character
• “what constitute the good life?” and “what
sort of individual should I strive to become?”
• Entail personality consideration

4. Concept of Teleology
• The development of anything follows from the
fulfillment of the purpose for which it was
designed.
• Everything in the world has proper function
within a harmonious hierarchy of purposes.

5. Concept of Human Nature
• Reason : give us the ability to think measure
and understand before we act
• Spirit : the drive toward action
• Appetite : pleasure relate to our physical being

6. # Human unhappiness occurs when the soul
become disordered.
~disorder in the soul arrises when certain
element assume undue importance and
influence or when subordinate element fail to
be restrain under higher faculty in the
hierarchy of human functioning

7. Timarchic
character
Oligarchic
character
Types of Corrupt
Moral Character
Democratic
character
Tyrannical
character

8. Timearchic character
• Spirit is the dominant force
• The individual is highly ambitious, energetic
and athletic
• Polite and obedient to authority but lack a
proper sense of superiority towards
subordinates
• Due to lack of education

9. Oligarchic Character
• Motivated by appetite and desire to earn
fortune
• Only want to satisfy the necessary
• Money and profit are the basic driving forces
• The person does not feel inner tranquility

10. Democratic character
• All desire and appetites are treated equally
• Lack of principle
• They are torn inside
– They want everything but they cannot have it

11. Tyrannical Character
• The worst of four
• Similar to criminal personality/dictator
• They have master passion that controls all of
the desire
• Nobody can control the tyrannical character
– If he or she set the goal to need something, no
one can stop him/her.

12. The Philosopher Ruler
• Morally virtuous person
• Have wise and courage
• Does not allow the three elements of soul to
interfere with one another
• Appreciate things that brings happiness
• Focus attention to the soul regarding it is most
important.