Review Questions for Exam # 2
1. Briefly explain the epistemological and metaphysical roles of Plato’s forms.
2. Explain the simile of the sun and the good. If everything derives from the good,
how can Plato account for evil?
3. Explain how the simile of the ship (1) explains how the best philosophers are
useless and (2) is a critique of democracy. Do you agree with this criticism? Why
or why not?
4. What are the four sorts of unjust city described by Plato in Book VIII? Briefly
explain each of these
5. What are the four sorts of unjust person explained by Plato in books VIII and IX?
Briefly explain each of these
6. Explain how the allegory of the cave illustrates two ways in which philosophers
make better rulers.
7. Explain and critically evaluate the three arguments Plato gives that the just person
has a better life than the unjust person ( Book IX).