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Write an essay explaining the basic concepts of Hellenic ethics as you understand them.

Introduction

A presentation of the answers to the big ethical questions, even if historically accurate to the Hellenic culture, is of little use if it doesn't also provide a method for answering other ethical questions as well so I'll begin with with a discussion of general ethics and how the Hellenics answered those questions. Ethics, or moral philosophy, is generally divided into three sections: metaethics (what are ethics and where do they come from), normative ethics (what are the methods of making decisions on good and bad behavior) and applied ethics (how to answer specific ethical questions).

Metaethics

The main focus in metaethics is the metaphysical (Do ethics and morality exist independent of mortals?). A common viewpoint about metaphysics is that ethics are abstract entities or spiritual beings that are absolute and unchanging. Examples of this are Anteros, God of antipathy who punishes those who do not return the love of others (Brockhampton, 25); Ananke, personification of necessity or obligation who was invoked in curses and charms (Adkins, 288); Nemesis, personification of retribution or righteous indignation (Brockhampton, 168); and Themis, the personification of justice (Adkins, 332). In this case, when we make ethical decisions, it is by the use of those ethical rules that we have discovered.

Another common viewpoint is that ethics are social conventions. There is evidence that some of the Hellenic ethical beliefs were of this form such as the maxims of Delphi, "Moralia" by Plutarch, "Oeconomicus" by Xenophon, "Oeconomica" by Aristotle, "Magna Moralia" by Aristotle and "Nicomachean Ethics" by Aristotle, all of which instruct on making proper ethical decisions. In these cases, our ethical decisions are in line with agreements we have made within our society. An overall look at resources of Hellenic literature shows that the Hellenes had a mixture of both these viewpoints.

Normative Ethics

Some of the more common forms of normative ethical systems are:

The Hellenic identity was mostly focused on their position in society and didn't put much emphasis on the individual until the conquests of Alexander at the end of the Classical period. This would indicate that an ethical system based on Subjectivism, Intuitionism, Emotivism, and Prescriptivism are unlikely. Most of the morality tales involving the Immortals tell of things not to do so Supernaturalism is also unlikely (except in a negative sort of way). Cultural Relativism appears to be the most likely candidate for the ancient Hellenic ethical system.

In a modern viewpoint, it appears to matter little which of these systems is used as long as we are consistent and apply something similar to the Golden Rule (treating others as we would like to be treated). I would advocate using Cultural Relativism to specify a small set of ethical absolutes and, once society has agreed upon those absolutes, the definitions should be clearly specified and society should be held to that same standard. (i.e. If murder is selected as an absolute, is killing in time of war considered murder? If murder is defined as the killing of another human, what are the criteria for being human?) For ethical issues that do not deal with absolutes, each person should select a few of the maxims of Delphi that can be used to answer the majority of ethical issues then use Prescriptivism, consistency and the Golden Rule to apply those maxims.

Applied Ethics: Historical Viewpoint

Address from a Hellenic perspective at least two of the following ethical issues: abortion, euthanasia/assisted suicide, capital punishment, animal rights, children's rights, the environment/conservation, homosexuality, economic inequality, race- or ethnicity-based discrimination. Are these religious issues? How does the Hellenic tradition deal with them, if at all? If they are not directly addressed in our tradition, how do you think modern Hellenists should approach them with regard to ethics?

Applied Ethics: Modern Viewpoint

Knowing the ethical decisions of ancient Hellenics is useful if we choose Cultural Relativism and believe that ethical beliefs have not changed for modern society. It is also useful if we follow Supernaturalism and we believe ancient Hellenics knew more about the guidance of the Immortals than we do in modern society. In these cases, our ethical decisions are made by determining what the ancients believed and following it without question. I think the discussion in the previous section is sufficient for this viewpoint and I don't advocate that for modern society.

Such knowledge is much less useful if we follow Subjectivism, Intuitionism, Emotivism or Prescriptivism. For the purpose of this discussion, I'll propose we choose Prescriptivism with the ethical maxims, reduced for manageability, to "worship the gods" (Θεους σεβου), "honor the hearth" (Εστιαν τιμα), "help your friends" (Φιλοις βοηθει), "watch out for your enemies" (Εχθοους αμυνου), "nothing to excess" (Μηδεν αγαν), "be a seeker of wisdom" (Φιλοσοφος γινου) and "acquire wealth justly" (Πλουτει δι&#xi;αιως) (Oikonomides, 74-75). We should use the golden rule and consistency to resolve issues where some of these maxims oppose each other.

Works Cited

Theoroi Hellenionou.
Approved
02-Dec-03.