Ethical views from antiquity to present

Abstract

Summary. The article looks at the ethics of ancient philosophers from the end of the 7th century B.C. to the beginning of the 6th century A.D. Many philosophers not only solved philosophical problems, but also engaged in medical practice. In solving moral problems, the ancient Greeks relied on the real ground of human relations and focused attention on the self-realization of a person's creative potential in the present world, not in the afterlife. The very phenomenon of morality was considered as a privilege of people, since the gods are eternally young, immortal, and therefore are not burdened with the need to choose actions and bear moral responsibility for them. Millennia pass, but questions about medical ethics and the ability to communicate with patients remain extremely relevant to this day.

The aim of the study – to expand and deepen knowledge on the ethics of the ancient world. To inspire and motivate young doctors to an individually-oriented approach to each patient using communication skills that originate from the works of ancient philosophers, in particular Socrates and Aristotle.

Materials and Methods. Using search databases of the "Internet" network and philosophical works on this topic; the article examines the origins of ethics as a philosophical science and its development by ancient philosophers.

Results. The contribution of ancient philosophers and physicians – Greeks and Romans – to the spiritual treasury of humanity cannot be overestimated. The social and political crisis in ancient Greece (the end of the 5th – the beginning of the 4th century BC) gave birth to new directions of philosophical thought. Problems of a cosmological scale, the search for the primordial foundations of existence gave way to ethical problems. At that time, three main ethical problems were in the field of view of philosophers. Among them: the question of the essence of the ethical concepts "goodness", "justice", "honesty", "courage", "truthfulness". The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, who was the creator of ethics as a philosophical discipline, used philosophy to substantiate the moral foundations of human existence. It was he who developed the method of dialogue, conversation, which reveals the essence of the subject of discussion and equated happiness with benevolence and taught that good should be done only knowing what it is... and that knowledge of the difference between good and evil makes people virtuous. So, those communication skills that are included in every method book for students today date back to the time of Socrates! An unshakable belief in the need for moral improvement of a person, a vision of good and evil and integrity as a special type of knowledge without which one cannot find the way to the highest good and happiness are the main principles of Socrates' ethical teaching. Antisthenes, a student of Socrates, believed that virtue is a necessary condition for happiness, and happiness is the goal of human life. Achieving integrity requires not only desire, but also perseverance. Aristotle added that social education is also necessary, which forms virtue, makes it a habit and teaches to apply general moral norms in everyday life. Aristotle's ethics is the pinnacle of ancient ethics. He was the one who introduced the term "ethics" and systematized ethical concepts and knowledge. Aristotle considered ethics as a teaching about virtues, about the integrity of the individual. The goal of ethics is not knowledge, but actions. The French philosopher Descartes considered ethics to be the highest and most perfect science of morality, which is based on the knowledge of other sciences and is the highest degree of wisdom.

Conclusions. Ancient philosophers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle organically combined ethics with ontology and were convinced that morality is a manifestation of the objective law of nature. And one should live according to virtue, which was considered as a direct manifestation of harmony with nature. Two thousand years separate us from the time when the treatises of ancient philosophers were written, but still such ethical virtues as humanity and integrity remain so necessary for our society.