Topics for Paper #1:
Below are 4 possible paper topics. Pick just one as the subject of your paper and write a short philosophical essay on it (see the philosophical writing guide in Unit One for helpful writing tips.) Your essay should be argumentative, and your conclusion should be announced somewhere near the beginning of your paper.
1. As carefully as you can, state the core claims of Divine Command Theory. Then, equally carefully, present the Euthyphro Problem as a serious objection to this view. Do you believe the Euthyphro Problem successfully undermines Divine Command Theory? Argue for your evaluation.
2. Is Socrates’ position in the Crito, concerning the moral authority of the state, consistent with what he says, in the Apology, about what he would do if commanded by the state to cease practicing philosophy, or about what he did when commanded by the Thirty to capture Leon of Salamis for execution? Explain the passages in which Socrates makes these claims, then evaluate the set of claims for consistency.
3. What is “Meno’s paradox” (Meno 80d-e)? What is Socrates’ response to it? What is his response supposed to prove? Does it succeed in proving its conclusion? Answer each of the questions carefully.
4. In Book I of Plato’s Republic, Thrasymachus claims that justice is the advantage of the stronger. Carefully explain what he means by this, giving at least two of his arguments. Then, evaluate this claim. Do you think Thrasymachus is correct? Argue for your position.
