PHIL 1301 ESSAY 1 TOPIC
The Republic begins with Socrates attempting to persuade his interlocutors to release him. Implicit in Socrates’s response is the idea that the meaning of words refers to a truer and/or better way of acting. Also, it implies that rational persuasion (i.e. using logic) should have the power to compel someone to resist their fleeting, egoistical, and base desires. Explain how Plato understands the problem of (rational) persuasion and how he develops his philosophy to overcome the problem. Do you believe he is successful; defend your conclusion?
You should structure your paper to discuss how, for Plato, knowledge is power. Here are some possible sections of The Republic that express this point:
1. In Book 1, Socrates uses the example of medical knowledge. How does Socrates’s example help to explain the idea that knowledge is power?
2. At the end of Book 2, Socrates argues that there cannot be a chaotic or evil God which everyone could use as an ideal.
3. Explain how the attainment of education’s goal, i.e. truth and/or complete meaning, can perfect an individual’s existence. Use the allegory of the cave and the idea of the Good in Book 7 to explain this.
4. Why does he in Book 10 argue that an ideal world provides the only good, but this requires giving up on bodily goods?
You may wish to focus on one or more of the above topics to make your argument and interpretation about Plato.
Your paper should be 3 full pages double-spaced with standard margins. The paper is due Monday, February 28th by midnight. LATE PAPERS will not be accepted. Papers will only be accepted if submitted through the TurnItIn Paper 1 Link in the Course Content section of Blackboard (Your name on the paper is all that is required since you will be submitting electronically. A lengthy paper header is not required.) Please consult the syllabus for additional paper requirements and for the grading rubric for assigned papers in the course. To submit the paper, go to the Course Content section of Blackboard and upload an appropriate file (.doc or .pdf) via TurnItIn Assignments Paper 1 link.
Note: extensive use of secondary sources in your paper is discouraged and will result in a lower grade. Engagement and analysis of the primary texts (i.e. the pdfs provided for free by the course) is expected in the paper. Citing lengthy primary text quotes without thorough explanation does not consitute engagement with the text. Additionally, papers will be checked for plagiarism. It is your responsibility to make sure your paper is free of copied and improperly cited material. Citation of the primary text does not have to follow rigorously the MLA or Chicago standards, since the readings were provided as free pdfs. For example, you can cite a passage with the (author, page number) format. Finally, there will be an Argumentation video posted in the Course Content section of the Blackboard, which explains how to construct an argument. Your paper should be written following its guidance; you should have a thesis which you propose and defend with logic/analysis in your paper.
