Philosophy
The Republic by Plato
1.- Is moral virtue within a society really analogous to moral virtue within an individual person? Argue that it isn’t, to the best of your ability. If your argument is correct, how does that affect the truth of Plato’s argument in the Republic?
2.- Reconstruct to the best of your ability the Divided Line. Present the strongest argument you can in support of this theory of reality. Is the Divided Line theory consistent with modern science? Why or why not?
3.- At the recent summit for Democracy called by President Joe Biden, The United States declares that the great struggle of contemporary politics is the fight against autocracies. Autocracies, President Biden says, seem in times of crisis to be superior to democracies because they can respond more rapidly to events like COVID 19. In the long run however, the President said, only democracies give the people ownership of their destiny. SO only democracies are just forms of government. What do you think about this argument by President Biden? What do you think Plato would think about this argument? How do you think Plato’s argument from Book 2, 3, and 4 of The Republic would apply, if at all, to modern crisis as the COVID 19 pandemic?
4.- What is the purpose of the Allegory of the Cave? Why might a story be more instructive than a lecture? Have you ever learned more from a story than from a direct argument? When? And how?

Examination Rules
This exam must be your work alone. It is against the rules to work on this exam with any other student or to use any outside help. Doing so is a violation of academic integrity and will result (at the very least) in failing this class. You are, however, permitted to consult Plato’s Republic, as well as a standard dictionary and your class notes