PHIL. 302.1/FALL 2003
PAPER TOPICS
PAPER DUE: NOVEMBER 13, 2003
1.
Find one philosophical position in the Presocratic texts that is supported by argument. State the position as you understand it, in your own words. Then state the argument used to support it, as your understand it. If you think the author’s position relies on untold premises, include these premises in your argument. Critically evaluate the argument.
2. Socratic Disobedience : Critically discuss what Socrates says in the Apology and the Crito regarding civil disobedience. Is his position on obedience to the state coherent in the two dialogues? If no, explain why. If yes, give an interpretation of Socrates’ claims that would resolve the inconsistency.
3. Socratic Piety : In the Euthryphro , Socrates claims that he wishes to know the “essential character of piety” and not “an effect that belongs to it”. In your own words, using your own examples, explain the distinction Socrates makes between saying what the “essential character” of something is and giving “an effect” of it. Explain Socrates’ argument at 9d that Euthyphro’s third definition does only the latter.
4. Knowledge vs. Doxa : Present Plato’s views of knowledge and opinion ( doxa) as he describes them in Republic V. Discuss the features that knowledge and opinion have in common and the ones they differ. What reasons does Plato give for thinking that knowledge and opinion are two different things? Is he convincing? Critically evaluate his position. Do you find seeds of this distinction in the early dialogues? If yes, what conclusions can you draw regarding Plato’s thought?
5. Plato on the Soul: Present Plato’s account of the human soul as discussed in the Republic . Why does
Plato think the soul is divided into parts and into the parts that he identifies? Does this distinction serve any role in what he purports to do in the Republic ? Do you find any similarities or dissimilarities of
Plato’s views of the soul in the
Republic and the ones in the Phaedo ?
6.
Plato’s Imagery in Republic VI and VII : Critically discuss Plato’s three figures/images in Republic
VI and VII: the Sun, the Line, and the Cave. What does Plato try to convey by means of all three images?
7.
Aristotle on Friendship : In the Nicomachean Ethics , Aristotle claims that all of our actions aim at one ultimate goal, i.e. happiness ( eudaimonia ). He also claims that friendship is a necessary condition of happiness, and classifies it as one of the virtues. Critically evaluate Aristotle’s views on friendship.
8. Aristotle on Virtue and Vice : In Nicomachean Ethics III.5, Aristotle argues that vicious states of our characters are voluntary states. Explain and evaluate his argument. Are there any features in his account regarding virtue and vice that might object to this view?
9. Aristotle on Substance : In Metaphysics XII, Aristotle reaches the conclusion that "there is an everlasting, unmoved substance that is separated from perceptible things". What is the argument by which he reaches this conclusion? How does Aristotle define this substance? What are the properties he attributes to it?