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469 BCE
Socrates
Ancient Greek philosopher whose way of life, character, and thought exerted a profound influence on ancient and modern philosophy. -
Period: 469 BCE to 397 BCE
Socrates
Though Socrates characteristically professed ignorance about many of the (mostly ethical) subjects he investigated, he did hold certain convictions with certainty, including that: (1) human wisdom begins with the recognition of one's own ignorance; (2) the unexamined life is not worth living; (3) ethical virtue is the only thing that matters; and (4) a good person can never be harmed because whatever misfortune he may suffer, his good character will remain intact. -
428 BCE
Plato
Ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, and founder of the Academy, best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence. -
Period: 428 BCE to 348 BCE
Plato
Plato supports a eudaemonistic conception of ethics based on virtue. To put it another way, happiness (eudaimonia) is the greatest goal of moral thinking and behavior, while virtues are the necessary abilities and dispositions to achieve it. -
384 BCE
Aristotle
Aristotle numbers among the greatest philosophers of all time. He developed a philosophical and scientific system that served as the foundation and vehicle for Christian Scholasticism and medieval Islamic philosophy. -
Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE
Aristotle
Ethics starts with actual moral judgments before the formulation of general principles. The ethics of Aristotle is concerned with action, not as being right in itself irrespective of any other consideration, but with actions conducive to man's good. -
Moral Positivism
Is the theory that claims there is no natural law, and therefore no such thing as “natural right.” All human rights, it holds, are derived from the state, from contracts, from each person's freedom, or from custom. -
Period: to
Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes' moral positivism anticipates the chaotic outcome if laws are not abided. People, he believes, should not be trusted to make decisions on their own because they will act on their own evil impulses if left alone. -
Jeremy Bentham
Though the first systematic account of utilitarianism was developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), the core insight motivating the theory occurred much earlier. That insight is that morally appropriate behavior will not harm others, but instead increase happiness or ‘utility.’ -
Period: to
Utilitarianism
Derived from the Latin words utile bonum or utilis which means usefulness. -
John Stuart Mill
Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness." Mill defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain.