(Moral philosophy of Socrates finalistic, optimistic. Truth leads to
good despite a theodicity that honours morality, for Socrates it is the
knowledge of Good and Happiness in the human sense. Plato expands this
moral conception into a world system. Good is an eternal idea, an absolute
substance and is the Idea of Ideas, complete reality in which all the
eternal ideas are aspects of expression. Good becomes God. Likewise
morality has become metaphysics. So morality explains and the nature of
things and the nature of the soul which is created for the Good but which
through a sort of defect receives evil into it and sensibility and the
body but which through death can return etc.
Then properly considered morality is like an application of those
metaphysical conceptions to real life: Meditation of death at work in the
soul to the imitation of eternal ideas. - much more for Plato than for
Aristotle morality cannot be separated from Politics. The individual is a
part of society just as a limb is part of the body such that the
individual has his goal in the state and morality of the individual is
subordinated to politics for the State in fact the whole realization of
good an by consequence Politics is moral: [illegible] morality
separates itself as a morality of the soul (by remaining in the soul) in
its connection in the State.
Sophistry is primarily a logical relativism (it is the same truth which
is missing, doubt on certainty over the objective value of thought.
Already as a consequence [moral] criticism relatively speaking that is to
say doubt on the value of acquired good, approved already by the
consciousness a need for moral knowledge but [illegible]
Kaƛov is an opinion [illegible] appearance Moral
relativism after philosophical phenomenism. Plato and Sophocles[?] already
oppose the idea of Natural Duty along with Social Law. In a word it
facilitates a new philosophy.
(Cf. 18th century philosophy and Renan for the Catholics). We admit the
legitimacy of the politics of a Pericles or a Louis XI, of poetry, of
painting, of music does not tend to good.
BNF NAF 16611 40r - 41v. Philosophy notes, possibly from Alphonse
Darlu's course at Lycée Condorcet, 1888-1889. The handwriting is very
difficult to read in places so some of this is conjectural.
Created 20.04.20