Summary

Plato’s dialogues are divided into Early, Middle, and Late. The early dialogues accept Psychological and Rational Eudaimonism. The four cardinal virtues form a whole identical with knowledge of what is overall best for the person and is sufficient for happiness.

The middle dialogues hold that all knowledge requires knowledge of transcendental Forms. They also partition the soul which allows for the possibility of akratic action. (An agent acts akratically when she acts contrary to what she knows or believes is overall best for her.) Contemplating Forms becomes a major part of happiness. Plato still recognises inter-entailing four virtues including wisdom which requires knowledge. Since non-philosophers cannot attain knowledge, they lack genuine virtue and have seriously deficient lives. So long as they obey philosopher rulers, however, they are better off in Kallipolis (the Republic’s good city) than outside it.

The late dialogues, the Politicus and the Laws, restrict citizenship to those capable of genuine virtue. The Laws’ city tries to develop genuine virtue in all citizens and provides for them a better education than that of the Republic’s auxiliaries.