Philosophy 200/300 Greek Philosophy  Fall Quarter 2001   Andrew Mills'  Homepage Course Resources Homepage  Dept. of Religion and Philosophy

    In the Crito, Socrates advocates obedience to civil authorities. When presented with a decision that one believes to be unjust, one must either accept that decision or persuade the judge to change her mind, Socrates says. (See, for instance, 51b).  Since he has failed to convince the jury, he accepts his punishment with equanimity, and refuses Crito’s offer of escape.  Yet this doctrine of “obey or persuade” seems to be in tension with something that Socrates said in the Apology.  There he considered as a possible punishment being prohibited from practicing philosophy.  Were that the punishment handed down by the jury, Socrates says, he would not comply.  He would resist such a punishment.  The problem is this: How can Socrates reconcile his resistance to this punishment with his endorsement of the “obey or persuade” doctrine?  Your task in this paper is to find a way of helping Socrates out of this bind.
 
    In the course of your paper, be sure to set out clearly what I have here called the “obey or persuade” doctrine.  Don’t simply quote it from the text, but rather explain what it involves.  You will also want to pay close attention to what Socrates says in the Apology when he is considering the no-more-philosophy punishment. Your project in this brief paper is to explain how Socrates can reconcile these two positions.  This will require a good understanding of what Socrates is saying in these two dialogues, as well as some amount of creative thinking.

Grading Criteria Papers will be graded according to the following criteria: (i) Accuracy and clarity of your presentation of Socrates’ views, (ii) The ability to separate what is central and important from what is tangential and parenthetical, (iii) The strength and originality of your argument (iv) general stylistic and organizational matters--grammar, correct spelling, no run-on sentences, etc.  For what my grades mean, see the syllabus.

General Writing Tips Your primary focus in writing this paper should be to make the issues, arguments and themes clear to someone who is not as familiar with the material as you or I are.  Toward that end, you should write in whatever style is most comfortable.  Most philosophical writing is in the first person, and in the present tense (that is, the author uses “I” and talks to the reader, as in a letter), and if you find that style comfortable, you should use it.  There is no need for dramatic opening paragraphs of the middle school sort (“Ever since the dawn of time, man has wondered about Socrates’ argument in the Crito”), nor sweeping conclusions.  Simply tell the reader what you are going to do, and then do it.  (Also, please make sure that your opening paragraph contains a thesis statement.)  I find it best to conceive of your reader not as me, nor even as someone else in the class, but rather as an intelligent person who has passing familiarity with the material, but not as close a familiarity as you do.  Thinking of your reader in this way will force you to be clear and precise and fully explain yourself.

Mechanics  Your paper should be in the 750-word range, and is due to me at the beginning of class on Thursday, 27 September.  It must be typed, double-spaced, and in a reasonable font, with one inch margins all around.  This is not a research paper—your Plato text and your brain will be sufficient instruments to complete this paper.  References to Plato should use the marginal “Stephanus” numbers.  Your paper should have a title (and not something boring like “Philosophy Paper”), and should be stapled in the upper left-hand corner.  Elaborate report covers and folders are not necessary.  Please proofread your paper.  In the age of spell-checkers, there is no excuse for spelling errors, but you should read your paper over once or twice before handing it in.  If you need to make a last-minute correction by hand, that is fine.  Do make sure to keep a copy of your paper in case something unforeseen should happen to the copies you turn in.  Late papers will not be accepted without previous approval from Prof. Mills.