Instructions:
• Write a 5-6 page paper in response to one of the questions below.
• On evidence: provide specific references to the text (quotations, paraphrases, summaries, examples) as evidence to support your answer to the question. Because this is a short paper, aim to save space by paraphrasing rather than quoting except when it is important to show the author's exact words. Do not rely only on notes from class. For anything you learned in class, find evidence from the text itself to support the claim.
• On sources: you may not consult any sources other than the assigned reading to answer these questions. This includes any online sources, including Wikipedia, Sparknotes, etc. The purpose of this paper is for you to analyze the assigned reading, not repeat someone else's analysis.
• On citations to sources: you must properly cite all quotations and paraphrases from the assigned texts. Please see the assigned tutorial on how to avoid plagiarism for help in understanding when and how to cite. For formatting guidelines, see the checklist below.
• On help from others: you may discuss these questions with other students in the class, but you must give credit in your acknowledgments (see the checklist below) to anyone who provides you with any ideas, suggestions, or criticism. This includes any students you may work with during an in-class workshop. While I encourage you to learn from each other, your paper must be your own work, written in your own words. Since you are responsible for the content of your own paper, you should not simply take another student's word for anything. Again, go back to the text for evidence.
• On the policies for plagiarism: There is a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism from external sources in this class. Any plagiarism from external sources, no matter how minimal, will automatically result in an "F" or an"FF" (signifying academic dishonesty) for the class. Any
plagiarism from another student's work will automatically result in an "FF" for the class. Plagiarism from the assigned reading may result in a significant grade reduction for the assignment or an "F" for the class, depending on the type and severity. You are responsible for making sure you understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to cite properly. If you are ever uncertain, consult the tutorial posted on Canvas.
In order to protect yourself from having your work plagiarized, do not share electronic copies of your paper with others.
• On analysis vs. opinion: the questions ask you to interpret and analyze the arguments in the text, and nothing more. Do not venture into discussing your own opinions on the issues, your judgment about whether or not the author is correct in what he says, or your evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the author's arguments.
• On grading and feedback: papers will be assessed using the rubric posted to Canvas. Additional feedback will be provided in class and by request in my office.
Paper Topics:
1. We hear a lot of talk in the United States about the importance of freedom. On this issue, Plato seems quite alien, for the concept of freedom does not seem to come up much in the Republic. Yet one could argue that Plato is not only concerned with "freedom" but strongly in favor of it - he simply understands it differently than many of us do today. What would this argument look like?
You will probably find it helpful to begin your thinking about this question by considering what Plato has to say about tyranny.
2. In the U.S., in the 21 century, "democracy" is often taken for granted as the best political system. st In Athens, in the 5 century B.C.E., this was also the case - but not for Plato. For Plato, democracy is th second only to tyranny as the worst form of government. But why is democracy so bad? What is the real problem with it, according to Plato? Under what circumstances might he actually approve of a democracy?
This question obviously implies that there are circumstances under which Plato might approve of a democracy. It does not, however, imply that any characters in the dialogue explicitly say so. In order to answer this question, then, begin by examining the fundamental criticism of democracy in The Republic, and then imagine "correcting" the elements that are criticized. Be careful not to propose a "correction" that would result in a political system that is no longer a democracy as it was understood in Plato's time (rule by the demos). You should certainly consider the explicit criticism of the democratic soul/city in Book VIII in your argument, but do not rely only on this part of the text.
Consider evidence from throughout The Republic about what good government requires and what kind of person should have access to decision-making power.
3. Like Cephalus, most people think it's wrong to lie - except, perhaps, in the case of a "little white lie" (i.e. a lie about something small with presumably no harmful effects, such as giving a made-up excuse for why you can't attend an event). According to Plato, under what circumstances is it right to tell a lie, and under what circumstances is it wrong? Why is it right to tell a lie, when it is right? Is this
reason for telling a "noble lie" the same as the reason why many people tell "little white lies"?
A strong paper on this question will consider examples from the text about both proper and improper uses of lying, and then analyze the key reason why lying is (or is not) justified in any of these cases (for example, regardless of whether one is lying to an individual or a group of individuals).
Pay attention to the fact that the argument for a noble lie does not simply "excuse" the lie as acceptable but rather contends that it is actually necessary. Finally, notice that this question requires some attention to contemporary justifications or motivations for "white lies" in our own culture(s).
4. It is possible to read the entire Republic as Plato's attempt to find a solution to one problem: the corrupt politician (the extreme case being the tyrant). So what is the key to preventing political corruption and tyranny, according to Plato? Why is this the key?
The Republic actually presents several techniques or strategies for preventing corruption and tyranny. But one technique is by far the most crucial in all circumstances. A strong paper on this question will explain why Plato relies most on this one strategy rather than other potential strategies.