Someone Who Is Loved by the Gods──Starting from "to agathon" of the Philebus

• Main Authors: Fu-Chih Su, 蘇富芝
• Other Authors: Wing-Chung Kwan
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2001
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/09186238770755569664

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 哲學研究所 === 89 === Someone Who Is Loved by the Gods ──Starting from "" of the Philebus Abstract Bodily desire is essential to the mortal human existence, and, from this point, we will discuss about the meanings of ""(the good) which is so important for mortal human beings. Following the main ideas of the Philebus, my essay will highlight three aspects of "". First, under the presupposition that bodily desire is essential to human existence, Socrates emphasizes that "" for human beings is the proportionate harmonious mixture of pleasure and nous, and that the nous imposes the measure of proportion. Second, Socrates mentions, "What you and I are now to attempt is to put forward a certain state or condition of the soul which can render the life of every man a happy life."(Philebus 11d4-6); and then he never again talks about what the happy soul is, even if he keeps on discussing about the happiness for human beings. So I would like to pay special attention to the essence of the happy soul as hinted by the Philebus when Socrates reflects upon the concept of the "" in the Philebus. I will also introduce the other points of view concerning the soul from other dialogues. And third, under the presupposition that bodily pleasure is essential to human existence, we will show what kinds of pleasure will be qualified for "" for human beings. On the whole, "" for mortal human beings will take place only through the proportionate harmonious blend of nous and pleasure, and there are two meanings for this. First, the harmony deserves to be called the beautiful, by means of which its parts are arranged in the right proportion. Second, the cause for the whole arrangement is due to the intellectual guidance of the soul, which is the divine part of the mortal human being, a gift from the gods. Key Words: happiness, soul, immortal, proportionate harmony, the divine (the nous), pleasure, just, mortal race.