Hi all
For some reason, the printers lost/didn't print the Plato Exercises.
Here they are.
Further Exercises: Plato
You can find all of Plato’s dialogues online.
1. Compare Plato’s cave analogy and Doctrine of the Forms to the metaphysical claims of Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Lao Tzu. Consider whether Plato means that all is illusion, and whether Heraclitus, Parmenides and Lao Tzu would agree. Bonus points if you know about Descartes and can work him into this. (Examinable).
2. Does Plato’s cave analogy explain social or political apathy? How or how not? Is it a coincidence that a metaphysical idea appears in the political work The Republic? Make reference to entertainment. Look up “Panem et Circenses” and say whether you think that there’s a modern parallel. (Examinable).
3. Explain how the Cave, the Line, and the Sun, all interrelate to the doctrine of the Forms. (Examinable).
4. Discuss the main arguments in the extract of the Theaetetus provided here (up to [187]). Who is Plato’s target? What refutations does he offer? Are they successful? What models of knowledge does Plato/Theaetetus offer? Are they successful? (Examinable).
