"the soul itself is not the reference point, but the good is the reference point"
Nice point. I prefer to state the relationship this way: Socrates taught that "the soul is nothing other than an orientation toward (search for) the Good, in itself." This is the end product of the Know Thyself command. This provides a stable place for not only logic but also morality (virtue) to stand upon. It brings all humans together into a team effort for our ultimate fulfillment.
Totally agree! as DC points out in Platos Critique of Impure reason, the good is the end of all human desire but also the foundation of truth and knowledge. When we lose the good we end up in solipsistic bubbles and the only influence left is manipulation and hence violence. Plato's philosophy establishes a tight link between knowing (epistemology) and doing (ethics) the good and hence the basis of both is the good itself (the ontological). If you lose the good you lose truth, freedom, knowledge and morality in one go - not a great deal!
"the soul itself is not the reference point, but the good is the reference point"
Nice point. I prefer to state the relationship this way: Socrates taught that "the soul is nothing other than an orientation toward (search for) the Good, in itself." This is the end product of the Know Thyself command. This provides a stable place for not only logic but also morality (virtue) to stand upon. It brings all humans together into a team effort for our ultimate fulfillment.
Totally agree! as DC points out in Platos Critique of Impure reason, the good is the end of all human desire but also the foundation of truth and knowledge. When we lose the good we end up in solipsistic bubbles and the only influence left is manipulation and hence violence. Plato's philosophy establishes a tight link between knowing (epistemology) and doing (ethics) the good and hence the basis of both is the good itself (the ontological). If you lose the good you lose truth, freedom, knowledge and morality in one go - not a great deal!