Read:
Plato’s Republic:
Burnyeat, M.F. (1997). Culture and Society in Plato’s Republic. The Tanner Lectures on Human Values. Harvard University. Available at https://tavaana.org/sites/default/files/Burnyeat99_0.pdf
Levin, M. (2012). Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America. NY: Simon and Schuster, Inc. Available at http://academic.udayton.edu/LawrenceUlrich/Leadership370/Plato%27s%20Republic%20and%20The%20Perfect%20Society.pdf
Zarri, J. (1948). Aristotle’s Theory of the Origin of State. Oxbridge Essays. Available at http://www.scholardarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Aristotles-Theory-of-the-Origin-of-the-State-DRAFT-2-PDF.pdf
Watch the video: Watch the TED-Ed talk on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave (Book VII in The Republic): Gendler, A. (2015). Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. [Video File]. Ted-Ed.
Saint Thomas Aquinas:
Read about St. Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law and Common Good (it is also a good review for the Aristotle reading). Available at http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-22-4-c-st-thomas-aquinas-natural-law-and-the-common-good
For the paper:
Present a 3-page paper on your worldview of family, society, and political philosophy looking at it through the lens of the philosophers this week.
Remember, your personal philosophy is right for you, you do not have to agree with these scholars.
Sample questions you may discuss (but you can come up with your own):
How do I see Plato’s philosophy in The Republic in the society where I live?
I think Aristotle/Plato/St. Aquinas most represents my town/family because…
Explain, compare, and contrast your personal philosophy with that of one of these men.
St. Thomas was wrong because… (same for Plato and Aristotle)
Summarize each of the three philosophers’ position and explain how you see each of them around you in different ways.
Create your own topic based on one, two, or all these men. Do not simply write a biography-paper. The purpose is for you, as a college student, to dive deeper than a biography.
Be sure to use in-text citation and provide references for your sources, including textbooks.