One of the dialogues of Plato’s Meno is set around the argument between Socrates and Meno, where he challenges the philosopher to state how virtue is archived and what is its nature. At the end of the part, Socrates reveals that the confident Meno does not understand how virtue is archived himself. To further explore the topic of virtue and the philosophical issue that surrounds it in the contemporary time, this essay will utilize the situation in Ukraine.
Virtue is not the same for everyone, it is something that each individual defines by themselves. Even Socrates in Plato’s Meno could not give a distinct revelation of virtue’s identity and nature (Plato et al., 11). There is a definition of the word itself, but morally complex action could be a virtue to one and pure evil to another. For example, killing a dying person in a great pain — for some, it is a virtue, but other people will react negatively at different levels. Any war demands people to consider what is right and what is wrong, where is evil and good, and where virtue stands for them.
The war in Ukraine shows that even in a modern society, people do not stand on one side. It seems that it is understandable that escalation of other country’s land is undebatable and unacceptable. However, the invasion took place, and a lot of people from Russia and other countries believe that the war is the only right way. That is the first choice people make when such events happen — what side do you stand with, who is the evil? It may look like it is obvious that Russia is evil, but people who stand with its politics regarding the invasion genuinely believe that they are the representation of good. The history and movie industry are a great representation that usually the evil is the side that lost. Children almost never debate whether the villains of animation films would still be bad if the story ended with them winning. Culture and society make people believe that the truth and kindness always win, however, it is not exactly correct.
The next debate which the war arises is what is virtue? Volunteers, soldiers, citizens — they all have to consider and determine their answer. Would it still be a virtue if the group of people saved from occupied cities were shot dead during the run? Soldiers have to know their own definition of virtue unlike everyone else, because they make crucial decisions not only on the battlefield, but also when communicating with their families, friends.
Although many philosophers cannot answer the question where virtue comes from distinctly, I agree with Aristotle. Aristotle suggests that it comes from both nature and experience, but the last source is more important (42). Taking an example from the war in Ukraine, people have united and help each other despite any circumstances they might have had before the critical situation. This statement is not only about the soldiers who are serving, saving their colleagues, land and the nation, but about citizens of Ukraine — families, volunteers, farmers, shop owners, and many more. Despite the fact that nobody can feel comfortable in Ukraine right now, people choose virtue — sharing last bites of food, medicine, helping other families and pets that were left behind.
While exploring the nature and definition of virtue, it is important to mention Kant and Menkiti. Philosophers stand on contrast — Kant is associated with individualism, while Menkiti is responsible for communalism. Despite that, both of the thinkers suggest reflection as a form of self-growth. Menkiti’s explorations rise his communitarianism, through analysis of person-society relationships (171). Kant’s method leads individual to self-realization, without person-community communication (244). Virtue can be explored through both, one might be affected or pressured by the community to make generally kind actions without their own desire. Others will only perform virtue after concluding it as a morally right action on their own. None of the causes are defining virtue as “valid” or “invalid”.
Taking the works of Aristotle, Kant and Menkiti into the account, the philosophers’ reaction on the war in Ukraine, to be exact, the role of virtue and its nature in the medium is rather predictable. From the experience of The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle would argue the nature of the arisen virtue among the Ukrainian nation and would explore its causes and outcomes. Critique of Pure Reason by Kant suggests that he would argue where the virtue came from. Most probably, he would state that people, being under a large amount of stress, had to identify what is virtue for them in a rush, making their own decisions. From the Person and Community in African Traditional Thought study of Menkiti, the philosopher would start a discussion with Kant, debating that the virtue came from Ukrainian communities. Menkiti would imply that in the critical situation, people have gathered into the groups, forming their thoughts after analyzing others’ and gaining the idea of virtue.
In my opinion, the medium of the war in Ukraine can be associated with each work and conclusion mentioned in the previous paragraph. Aristotle’s view on the virtue as a trained ability finds its niche in the situation. Even though it is arguable if people would or would not take action before the crisis, definitely, there are more brave actions on the media now compared to the very start of the war. Therefore, it is easy to sum up that people have trained their ability for virtue and altruism.
Kant’s individualism greatly fits the scene as well, as there are many stories on the social media how people have reconsidered their lives and goals. So, it is not debatable they had time for reflection and self-growth within their individuality, which made some of them prioritize kindness. Menkiti’s idea of communitarianism easily finds its way into the medium. People had to leave their homes, moving in with their friends, distant family, volunteers or neighbors. Those actions have formed groups with similar mentalities and views on the world in general, so the communitarianism is reasonable.
In conclusion, the situation in Ukraine at the moment may be a medium for many philosophy debates, issues, or ideas. Its complexity and variation of the outcomes of the crisis for each individual make a big space for thoughts. The suggested works of Aristotle, Plato, Kant and Menkiti may all be used for deeper understanding of the war in Ukraine and vise-versa. The outcomes of the exploration of the virtue through the suggested reason take back to the first dialogue in Plato’s Meno, where Socrates stated that he cannot exactly identify the nature of virtue.
Works Cited
Aristotle, et al. The Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Pure Reason. Penguin Classics, 2003.
Menkiti, Ifanyi. Person and Community in African Traditional Thought. University Press of America, 1984.
Plato, et al. Plato’s Meno. Focus Pub., 2004.