POL200 - Week 7 Discussion Questions
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University of Toronto *
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Course
200
Subject
Political Science
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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Uploaded by taraterzi
Tara Terzi
POL200
Week 7 Discussion Questions
1.
What was your experience reading the dialogue form of the Republic: Was it
challenging to read as political theory? How did your experience of reading and
analyzing it compare with previous readings? Why would Plato choose to write in
this form?
Plato made an interesting choice in using the dialogue form. I found it a little difficult to
understand as political theory because it takes a different approach than simple treatises. The use
of dialogues, in which Socrates converses with a variety of people, gives the idea investigation a
more dynamic quality. It almost feels like seeing a live engaging debate rather than reading a dry
theoretical text.
Plato is able to present a sophisticated discussion and examine several points of view thanks to
the dialogue form. It can entice readers to explore philosophy and is more intriguing. Another
important tool for communicating the philosophical concepts is the Socratic technique of
challenging and questioning assumptions.
When compared to earlier readings, the dialogue form gives the concepts more nuance. Rather
than being lectured, it feels more like a philosophical voyage. The relationships between the
characters give the concepts life.
I believe that Plato used this format in order to uphold the oral tradition of Socratic teachings.
Since Socrates never recorded his thoughts in writing, his student Plato utilized the dialogue
form to encapsulate and explain Socrates' philosophy. It also makes complicated concepts more
dynamic and interesting to explore, which opens them up to a larger audience.
2.
At 369a, Socrates proposes to his interlocutors that they shift the scale of their
discussion of justice, saying, “…let’s first find out what sort of thing justice is in a
city and afterwards look for it in the individual, observing the ways in which the
smaller is similar to the larger.” How does he justify this move? Do you think it’s
valid to connect justice in an individual to justice in a collective context?
Socrates initiates his investigation by delving into the notion of justice within a city, before
proceeding to analyze its presence in an individual. This strategic maneuver is justified on the
grounds that apprehending justice on a larger scale – within a city – may be comparatively
simpler and more apparent than discerning it at an individual level. The underlying concept
suggests that principles of justice might manifest themselves more prominently through the
structures and operations present within a society, such as institutions, laws, and social
interactions. By comprehending this broader context first-hand, one can then proceed to
scrutinize manifestations of justice in individuals - albeit with greater subtlety and difficulty
when compared to their societal counterparts.
According to Socrates, a city's justice is a heightened representation of each person's own justice.
The underlying assumption of this analogy is that, although on different scales, a city and a
person have comparable structural elements and faculties. For instance, a person must have a
balance between the various aspects of their soul in order to be just, just as a city's various
classes and roles must coexist peacefully for the benefit of society.
It is a legitimate philosophical approach to draw parallels between justice in an individual and
justice in a collective setting, particularly in the context of Socratic dialogue, which frequently
employs analogies and scales concepts up or down to improve understanding. This approach
makes it possible to investigate abstract ideas like justice in a way that is more concrete and
visible. It also embodies the ancient Greek idea that the state is a bigger version of the individual
and that the justice and health of the state are directly correlated with those of its people.
This strategy, though, is not without criticism. It makes the unavoidable assumption that there is
a direct relationship between the individual and the city. Because of the complexity of social
interactions, political power structures, and cultural norms, the dynamics of justice in a collective
or societal context can differ greatly from those in individual ethics and morality. Therefore, even
though Socrates' approach offers a useful place to start a conversation, it also invites more
philosophical discussion about the nature and applications of justice in various settings.
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