Philosophy: The Philosopher-King

1. Discuss one of the personal experiences that shaped Plato's overall idealism. A personal experience, such as Socrates' execution, was an event that shaped Plato's idealism on democracy, and his fundemental values. He that if the people got to decide anything, the only people who should be allowed to decide were those educated about the subject, those who will listen to justice, and their sense of right and wrong. The thought democracy to violate the principle of functional order and rule by reason. 2. What was the Academy? What was it's purpose? The Academy was Plato's school to educate wise rulers, and spread his ideas of life. 3. How did Plato distinguish between knowledge and opinion? He formulated that knowledge is unchanging, fixed, and aboslute, while opinion is constantly changing and "unanchored". 4. What are Forms? How do Forms differ from ideas? Abstract "objects" that Plato thought to be more real than physical objects. He considered Forms to be timeless "essences", divded into the being and the becoming. Forms are shaped from the ideas in which we see things, but not all ideas are Forms. 5. Illustrate the Divided Line and relate each segment to Plato's epistemology as it is characterized in the Allegory of the Cave. The divided line is split into for segments. Starting from the bottom there is (D) Imagination. (C) Perception. (B) Reasoning. (A) Understanding. The prisoners chained to the dark cave wall are in an imaginary area of things their brains make up (D). The occupants of the cave stray away from common sense, the world of informed opinion (C). Those who want to go out of the cave, are learning knowledge from reason to make their way up (B). Those who reach the surface have found an understanding of the purest reality by purest intelleigence (A). 6. How did Plato use the sun to help explain the Good? The sun makes all other life possible.

7. Identify the three basic levels of reality. The highest level of reality are the "Forms", followed by the changless "being", both of which combine to make "becoming". 8. Distinguish the realm of being from the realm of becoming. The realm of being is absolute, and unchanging. The realm of becoming are ideas and opinions, structured by the realm of being and Forms. 9. Tell the Allegory of the Cave in your own words. Plato basically defines that only select beings will continue to search for and find the Good. He talks of how confusing and imaginary thoughts and sights are hard to surpass, but are necessary to find the Good. 10. What is the "key" Plato reveals at the opening of the Republic? What is its significance to his basic attitude toward democracy? You can't persuade people who won't listen. It implies that not everyone can take part in rational discourse, because they lack will, intellect, or both. This made his growing opinion that the general society should not be able to vote on things they have no idea about, like in a democracy. 11. Explain in what sense Plato's theory of justice is "functionalist." What kind of moral theory is contrasted with functionalism? Plato stated that a state is just when it functions fully, and that an unjust state is dysfunctional. The moral theory that sucessful people should have more than unsucessful people is contrasted with functionalism. 12. Describe the general structure of the ideal state as Plato presents it in the Republic. The general structure of the ideal state is that everyone is supported to their nature; whole, healthy, balanced, and just. 13. List the cardinal virtues. The four cardinal virtues are Temperance, Courage, Wisdom, and Justice. 14. What is special about justice as a virtue? How is Plato's use of the word justice different from ours? Plato describes justice as excellence of function for the whole. It differs from our view because it goes beyond the idea that "justice" is just a form in the legal system. 15. Carefully explain the relationship of the society to the state in the

Republic. Plato stats that the rich will get richer and the poor will grow angrier until the poor overthrow the rich. 16. What are the parts of the soul and how are they related, according to Plato? The parts of the soul, according to Plato, are reason, spirit and appetite. A good heathly and virtuous soul, where all the parts are working together. 17. Briefly explain the origin and nature of democracy, according to Plato. Plato saw democracy as unjust because rule by the majority of the people outrules the role of the "guardian" class. He viewed democracy as rule by random surges of emotions and opinions, which couldn't be alright for correct society. 18. What is the democratic soul like, according to Plato? Plato views the democratic soul as that of one constantly subjecting to tyranny because of excessive liberty. 19. What does Plato see as the most unjust type of person and state? Why? Do you agree? Plato saw the most unjust type of person as the one who who rules by opinion and not by reason. Yes, because if everything were ruled by opinion, only a certain social class, or rationality, or group of anything would be seen as best, which would cause the downfall for everyone else. 20. In your opinion, what is Plato's greatest philosophical weakness? Explain. Plato's greatest philosophical weakness is his firm guidelines for how life functions in his Forms. If something were to come up that did not go along these guidelines at all, how would he explain it? Would he make new Forms to replace his old ones? Though wouldn't that go against his inital ideas that the Forms are set in contrete and pure fact?