Virtue Is Knowledge: No One Does Wrong Willingly

Two connected claims are central to Socrates' ethics as Plato presents them. First, virtue is a kind of knowledge: to be just or courageous is to know what is truly good. Second, no one does wrong willingly. Everyone wants what is good for them, so if a person does wrong, it must be because they mistakenly believe it is good. This is called Socratic intellectualism.

It implies that the cure for wrongdoing is education rather than punishment, and that caring for one's soul matters more than wealth or reputation. Critics, starting with Aristotle, objected that it ignores akrasia, or weakness of will, the common experience of knowing what is right yet failing to do it. Others ask whether knowledge alone can motivate action. The debate matters because it raises a question still central to ethics and education: is goodness something that can be taught?