Classical Political Thought
Fall 2015 Themes for Review (Midterm)
Use the following themes to guide and focus your studying. This is not a fully
comprehensive guide to the entire exam, but it will be very helpful. (There will be a
strong focus on material covered in class.)
Basic Chronology of 5th Century Greece, including importance of Athenian victory in the
Persian Wars, followed by the emergence of democratic Athens & “Golden Age” of
Athens during Pericles rule (461-429). (“Golden” from the point of view of later
Athenian generations.)
Beginning of the decline of Athenian democracy during the Peloponnesian War (431 –
404 BCE).
Rise of a new sense of the Political in 5th Century Athens (Lec 1 notes, Lec 2 notes).
(Examples: Antigone and Socrates as clear exemplars)
Ancient Liberty vs Positive liberty
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Antigone: Main themes stressed in class discussion
were
- central aspects/importance of tragedy for ancient Greece
- role of tragedy & drama in 5th Century Athens
- understanding of the main characters and their relevance & importance (esp.
Creon, Oedipus, Jocasta, Haemon, Ismene, Polyneices, & Antigone
- tension between physis & nomos in each tragedy
- contending interpretations of Antigone’s character & actions
Sophists & their chief characteristics.
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Useful & advantageous characteristics of Sophists at dawn of humanistic age in
democratic Athens
Disadvantages & problematic aspects of Sophists (such as relativism) (Nov 4
treatment of Book VI in class will help here! See below.
How and why Socrates & Plato respond to Sophists
Plato & Socrates critiques of Sophists in Republic (esp. Book VI covered Nov 4)
Socrates’s Methods: “What Is It Question”; Elenchus; Importance of Dialog (or
Dialectic); Argument by Analogy.
Plato’s Methods (see Plato lecture notes)
Plato’s Republic:
 Book 1: Thrasymachus’s accounts of justice and Socrates’ response
 Socrates’s Methods (see above) on display in his response to Thrasymachus
 Books 2, 3: Account of Justice given by Glaucon (similar to social contract)
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Socractes’s Response to Glaucon and his initial description of specialization in the
City
Abolition of the Family; Importance of Propoer Training in Myth, Drama, Music, etc.
Books 3 & 4: Myth of the Metals (as a founding myth & as a “noble lie”)
Be able to explain the account of the Myth of the Metals
The three parts of the state
The three parts of the soul
Definitions & brief explanation of the 4 cardinal virtues in the State & in the Soul
Beginning of Central argument regarding Philosopher-Kings (PK) and 4 types of
Knowledge discussed Wednesday, Nov 4. (Book V, line 243 thru end of Book
VI).
o Key characteristics of philosophers (“Ease in learning, a good memory,
courage, and high-mindedness belong to the philosophic nature” Book V,
p. 252, left)
o Doxa (Belief or Opinion based on appearances) vs. Sophia (Wisdom)
(Philodoxical vs. Philosophical)
o Book VI descriptions (criticisms) of Sophists: focused on Doxa, unaware
of Sophia. We discussed several passages in class.
o 4 Cognitive States (Modes of Cognition) discussed in the Analogy of the
Divided Line (End of Book VI). Discussed in class Nov 4. (See Lecture
Notes for Republic Part III, at the very end of Book VI.
Note: Book VII will not be on the Exam! (Nor Book VIII nor Book IX).