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Socrates Desire For Good In Movies

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One may naturally assume that all people desire good things in their lives. By doing good, being good, or attempting to do what is right, people feel good about themselves and receive happiness from their actions or choices. This is in alignment with Socrates’ desire example where he claims that all people desire good things. However, not everyone is satisfied by seeking out good things for themselves. Some people enjoy doing bad things as they attempt to create power, chaos, or anarchy which, in turn, makes them happy and keeps them entertained. Specifically, movie characters such as the Joker from The Dark Knight, the “Other Mother” from Coraline, Dr. Evil from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes: …show more content…
In fact, Socrates admits that he cannot conceive of how, “...people would desire things harmful to themselves...” (Wolfsdorf, Desire For Good In Meno 77B2-78B6, 82). However, people may seek out something that has negative ramifications if they receive pleasure from doing it. This group of people is most recognizable as anti-heroes in movies. These characters are the perfect compliment of the hero as they enjoy being bad just for the benefits they get out of it. These can range from entertainment, to happiness, to purpose, or even to noveling in their own destruction. Socrates does not account for people who have personalities such as these movie characters do. Certainly, Socrates failed at including all groups of people in his explanation of …show more content…
The Joker is a notorious criminal from Gotham City who has committed murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, extortion, and other various crimes (Nolan, The Dark Knight). The Joker enjoys using a knife as a murder weapon as he, “...[savors] all the little emotions” (Nolan, The Dark Knight). Certainly, experiencing any sort of positive emotion from committing murder is a bad thing. Nonetheless, the Joker seems to get satisfaction out of committing heinous crimes. This is a direct contradiction to Socrates‘ desire example. If the Joker was to fit into the desire tree, he should be void of the desire to do anything that could harm himself or others. Obviously, committing murder harms others and will eventually harm the Joker himself. Yet, the Joker finds amusement in his crimes as, “[the] only sensible way to live in this world is without rules” (Nolan, The Dark Knight). It is apparent that the Joker finds chaos exciting. Thus, he is eager to create it wherever he can, “[because] some men just want to watch the world burn” (Nolan, The Dark Knight). Chaos is a universally bad thing as it is uncontrollable, unpredictable, and dangerous. It allows people to act however they please without fear. This challenges Socrates’, “...proposition that all people desire the good” as it is clear that the joker enjoys creating chaos and anarchy, which are both bad things

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