im anyone, and creates a world where life is more simple. Or does it? What about situations where some one is violating you, trying to harm you? May you defend yourself, and in fact is self defense a legitimate moral justification in this case? Looking at the literal text in One must never do wrong, even for wrong received seems to imply that you may not. Even if our life is at stake, since attacking them would be doing wrong, we must not do so. So in other words, Socrates must hold that self defense cannot be a legitimate moral justification for your actions. Ah but does he really ? Is it wrong to defend your life? I think not, in fact it is one of the highest goods possible. Not only are you saving a life by doing so (your own) you are also reaffirming to the public that human life is indeed sacred, and more so should be defended against all evils. In fact your self-defense appeals to the Athenian virtues of justice. One must recall that Athenians hold six virtues up above all others, and that these should not only be followed, but are indeed the highest qualities one could have. In this example, by defending your life your showing giving a shining example of justice (namely its wrong to kill). Since you are showing justice (knowing what is right and what is wrong) your making an example of our initial maxim One must never do wrong, even for wrong received. You can also defend yourself in a nonlethal way, which by then doing so you are appealing to the Athenian virtue of piety (knowing what is sacred, or holy if you will).By saving your life and sparing your attackers, you are showing that life is a sacred thing, which further promotes your own piousness. For the vast majority of us, it hold true that we value life above all else, that defending it is a good in of itself, and based on Athenian virtue it seems the same here. Also by knowing what is pious you again become one who is a expert so to speak on morality, and are show...
