Philosophy 161, Winter 2008, Second Paper
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Write a paper of 8 -12 pages long on one of the topics listed below.

Paper is due by Friday, March 20, 12:00 noon, in my mailbox (Philosophy Dept., HSS 7th floor).

1. Protagoras claims that virtue is not something natural and spontaneous (Protagoras, 323b-d) but acquired through teaching. Yet elsewhere (327c) he argues that a natural aptitude is what makes some excel in something or other. Are Protagoras’ views consistent?
2. In arguing against the unity of virtue, Protagoras claims that courage is not like the other virtues. What are his reasons or what reasons can be given in support of his position?
3. In the early part of the Meno, Socrates and Meno disagree as to whether virtue is one or many. What is the issue under dispute, and does Socrates succeed in proving that virtue is one?
4. In examining the third definition of virtue in the Meno, Socrates claims that “one man is not better than another with respect to desiring good things.” Sketch the Socratic argument against this definition, and explain the Socratic view about desire and the good.
5. What implications does the theory of recollection discussed in the Meno have for ethical inquiry and the kind of knowledge it can achieve?
6. In the Meno, Socrates appears to conclude that virtue is not a kind of knowledge and it is not teachable, positions that seem to contradict his views in the Protagoras. In your judgment, can the Socratic positions in the two dialogues be made consistent?
7. In the myth of Gyges Plato argues that if a just and unjust person is given the ring that could make them invisible, their behavior will be identical. What are Plato’s reasons in support of that claim and what is the myth aiming to prove?
8. In his discussion of the training of the guardians in Books II and III of the Republic, Plato puts forth a theory of the acquisition of virtue. What is Plato’s view and how does it differ from the Socratic position on the acquisition of virtue?
9. In constructing his ideal city, Plato makes use of two basic principles—one about the distribution of human capacities and the other about efficiency. Explain how these function in Plato’s account of the ideal city.
10. Glaukon in Republic, Book II, presents a view of human beings in a state of nature that leads the many to conclude that justice is not something natural. In responding to Glaukon, Socrates describes a type of behavior of humans without central authority that is very different. Who gives the most persuasive arguments in support of his position about human nature, and is there a common ground in these two positions?