Criticizing a Philosophical Argument

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The Assignment:

Write an essay criticizing any two of Socrates’s ideas. Be specific in using quotations and examples. (500-750 words in length; typed and double-spaced)

Suggestions

Make a list of the key ideas that you have gathered from studying; these should be the main points that Socrates has made in the course of the text. Make another list, writing the key ideas from the first list that you think are the weakest. Stare at your list. What have you left out?

Now go back and think of quotations from the text and where you want to insert them on your list. Think of examples that will illustrate the points that you want to make and place these on your list. Stare at the list again. What have you left out? Copy the list over if it is a mess. Juggling ideas in a list is far easier than juggling them in an essay.

Think harder about criticizing the key ideas. What you need is evidence. Look at the examples you have on your second list. Improve and clarify them.

Write the first draft of you essay criticizing any two of the philosopher’s key ideas. You might use the following organization:

• Paragraph 1: Compose a nice introduction to your essay, perhaps describing the philosopher or discussing what takes place in the text that you have read. At the end of the paragraph, state clearly what the two ideas are that you are going to criticize, and state briefly the main problem with each of them.
• Paragraph 2: State what the first idea is that you are criticizing, providing quotations or examples from the text where relevant. Then state the problem with it, using examples to illustrate the points you want to make.
• Paragraph 3: Do the same thing for the second idea that you want to criticize as you did in paragraph 2.
• Paragraph 4: Expand on Socrates’s key ideas and your criticisms, using your two lists.
• Paragraph 5: Compose a nice conclusion which wraps up your essay; try to propose some new idea about the subject which you have discovered.

Revise the essay, inserting transitional words and phrases where necessary. Make sure that the essay reads smoothly, and check for grammatical correctness, punctuation, and spelling.

The Texts:

Euthyphro
Apology
Crito
Phaedo
"Allegory of the Cave"

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   August 30, 1999