- "Prove to us therefore, not only that justice is superior to injustice, but that,
irrespective of whether gods or men know it or not, one is good and the other evil because of
its inherent effects on its possessor." (p. 55, 367e)
This initial challenge gets Socrates started. Lay out the essential argument by which Socrates meets this challenge. In a brief (no more than a page) section of the paper, describe and defend your own assessment of this argument. - "We may therefore find justice on a larger scale in the larger entity, and so easier to recognize. I accordingly propose that we start our inquiry with the community, and then proceed to the indvidual..." (p. 58, 368e)
Here begins an argument that seeks justice in the community as a starting point for identifying justics in the individual. Lay out the essential argument by which Socrates identifies justice in the community and ultimately in the individual. Somewhere in your paper, justify the whole approach by invoking Plato's Theory of Forms. In a brief (no more than a page) section of the paper, describe and defend your own assessment of this argument. - Why does Socrates think philosophers (and no others) ought to be rulers? Lay out his essential argument and discuss how he supports various parts of it. In a brief (no more than a page) section of the paper, describe and defend your own assessment of his argument.
Notes:
- This paper will be due at class time on Wednesday, October 27.
- This is a longer paper than those you've written so far for Freshman Studies and the Seven Generalizations... are worth reviewing. I'd particularly like to emphasize these four (3, 5-7):
- The audience for a Freshman Studies paper is not a particular professor, nor is it the
mythical "little old lady from Dubuque" who's never heard of Plato. The real audience is someone
who's familiar with the work in question, though not an expert on it, someone who's looking to
the paper for help in understanding the work itself.
- The introduction to a Freshman Studies paper should raise a question about the work being treated. The introduction will usually conclude with a response to the question--a response that can serve as the paper's thesis.
- The body of a Freshman Studies paper should contain several logically connected main points, all of which support the thesis. Evidence presented in support of these points should not be merely stated but interpreted, so that its relevance to the argument is clear.
- The conclusion of the paper should respond to the introduction, articulating answers to the questions raised in the introduction and explaining why those answers are of value to the reader.
- The audience for a Freshman Studies paper is not a particular professor, nor is it the
mythical "little old lady from Dubuque" who's never heard of Plato. The real audience is someone
who's familiar with the work in question, though not an expert on it, someone who's looking to
the paper for help in understanding the work itself.
- This paper will be the second of the two required to be rewritten.
The rewrite will be due on Wednesday, November 24. We'll have writing conferences again after mid-term.
- Please see me if you have questions about the paper topics.
And as always...
"The simplest definition of a good writer is that he has something to say, and that he has learned how to say it so he can be understood.” – Robert J. Hastings, How I Write
revised: 11-Oct-1999