Plato's Republic

1)There are a variety of major distinctions that people always use to describe the Plato's Republic section we
have read. The distinctions are:
The appearances vs. reality
One vs. the many
Forms/ideals vs. physical objects
Another way to understand the Allegory of the Cave and the Divided Line is to use one particular example and
take it through all the different levels of the Divided Line. Here's some examples like that:
A picture of a dog in a dog magazine/ An actual physical dog//A diagram of a dog used to train a dog show
judge at Westminster Dog Show/The idea of the perfect dog - Less "real"//More "real"
A picture of a beauty pageant participant/Meeting the actual beauty pageant participant//A description of the
ideal "Miss America"/The concept or ideal Miss America in someone's imagination - Again, the more perfect it
is, the more real it is, even if it's just an idea.
Would you agree with the way Plato connects knowledge and reality? Why or why not?
2)Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were two wealthy, privileged young men in Chicago who murdered
someone. Clarence Darrow was their defense attorney. He claimed that they should not be given the death
penalty, because there must be some cause and effect, some relationship between their childhood and
environment, and the horrible thing they did.
How does this relate to the concept of free will and determinism?
Were their lives determined for them, by their circumstances, before they did the crime?
3) As you watch the video under the topic of Ethical Egoism,
Law and Justice - Plato’s Republic - 7.6 Ring of Gyges (6:09 mins) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=BlT5SdLeXtM
Summarize the debate between Plato and Glaucon. What does Plato conclude about doing the right thing,
even when we can do the wrong thing without being discovered?
What does the story of Gyges tell us about human nature? Are people naturally good or naturally bad?
Discuss one example of a situation that involves the temptation to do something wrong without being found
out. What reasons can you give for doing the right thing anyway?
4) Do you think life has or can have meaning? Why might one question whether life has any larger meaning or
purpose? Share your perspective by making an argument that involves your own view and 3 authors we have
considered during this unit. (Aquinas, Anselm, Paley, Hume) Select ones that support your view and at least
one that would be in opposition to it. Include your response to the opposing argument(s) as well