E. Virtue and Happiness
Socrates� view of the relation between virtue and happiness is sometimes stated like this: virtue is both necessary and sufficient for happiness. Virtue is necessary for happiness in the sense that you can�t truly be happy without being virtuous. Of course, you can feel happy and may have a life filled with fun and good times, but you won�t have lived the most excellent kind of life a person can live if you are a moral reprobate. Socrates also believed that virtue is sufficient for happiness because he thought that if you have virtue, you don�t need anything else to be happy. You may not be the wealthiest, prettiest, most successful person in the world, but if you are honest, wise, fair, courageous and self-controlled, your life and character will merit praise and respect. If you cultivate the �four cardinal virtues� (courage, wisdom, justice and self-control) throughout your entire life�though you achieve nothing else�you will have lived a truly excellent life.
Wisdom, according to Socrates, is a centrally important component of happiness for several reasons. To begin with, Socrates famously maintained that �the unexamined life is not worth living� (Apology, 38a). If we unreflectively go through life, not thinking about what kind of life we are living and what kind of goals we should be pursuing, the gift of rationality�the capacity for critical thinking�has been wasted on us. Moreover, we cannot develop virtue without wisdom. Since virtue is both necessary and sufficient for happiness and since happiness is obviously important to all of us, we need wisdom to know whether what we are pursuing in our lives will really bring us happiness. Once we understand that only virtue can bring us happiness, we will want to make sure that we don�t miss it. Therefore, Socrates believed that we should �discuss virtue every day� (Apology, 38a), regardless of our chosen profession. Furthermore, one cannot become an excellent (i.e., happy) human being blindly, foolishly or by accident. It takes a concerted effort on our part. Failing to become virtuous, however, can come about without lifting a finger. Since virtue does not fall into one�s lap but must be pursued, we must have the wisdom to know that we are pursuing the right thing and are headed in the right direction. Without wisdom, this would not be possible. Thus, philosophical investigation for Socrates was more than a trivial way to pass the time. It was an important component of the truly best kind of life that human beings can live. One cannot be happy without being virtuous, and one cannot be virtuous without being wise.
