CNE/PHL 370 Review Guide for Plato Exam #1
Nature article
1. What was the oracle at Delphi? What significance did it have for the ancient
Greeks?
2. Who was the oracle originally sacred to? Who was the temple built on the site
later dedicated to?
3. Who was the Pythia? What was the name of the small chamber she entered?
What did she do in there, according to Plutarch?
4. What sweet-smelling gas in small doses produces a floating sensation and euphoria, and
in large quantities is fatal?
Cohen, Curd, & Reeve, Plato: Introduction (89–96)
1. What were the years of Plato’s birth and death? (89)
2. What was Plato’s father’s name and who was he? What was Plato’s mother’s name and
who was she related to? (89)
3. What were the names of Plato’s two brothers and his sister? (89)
4. How does Plato describe Socrates in the quotation from Plato’s Seventh Letter?
(89)
5. What is the elenchus and who practices it? (91)
6. What did Plato do around 385 BCE when he returned to Athens from Sicily? What
"grew and developed" in the precinct of the hero Academus? (95)
Apology
1. What does apologia mean in Greek? What do you think Socrates’
real
goal is in presenting his apologia?
2. What does daimonion mean in Greek, who has one, and what does it do?
3. What three things do the “old accusers” charge Socrates
with? (19b)
4. What are the official charges of Socrates’
“new accusers”?
(24b) Who are these three “new accusers”? (23e)
5. What kind of wisdom does Socrates admit he possesses? (20d) Explain what Socratic
Ignorance is (21d). What does Socrates say his divine mission is?
6. What does Socrates say is the “most blameworthy ignorance”? What does
he say about fearing death? (29a–b)
7. What does Socrates say about disobeying one’s superior? (29b)
8. Who were Gorgias of Leontini, Prodicus of Ceos, Hippias of Elis, and Evenus of Paros?
(19e–20c)
9. What is said about Anaxagoras in the Apology? (26d–e)
10. What does Socrates say is the greatest blessing for Athens? How is that
the greatest blessing? (30a–b)
11. Present Socrates’
Argument that He Should Not Be Prosecuted for Corrupting the
Young. (25d–26a; see handout)
12. What does Socrates think is the nature of true harm? What are Socrates’
reasons
for thinking that a good man cannot be harmed (by a worse man, either in life or in
death)? (30c-d, 41c-d)
13. What does Socrates think about death and which hero does he compare himself to?
(28b–d)
14. Why does Socrates say he can’t simply stop being the annoying
“gadfly” of
Athens? (30e)
15. What “punishment” does Socrates initially suggest he deserves? What
does Socrates say about happiness? (36d–e)
16. Explain why Socrates believes that “the unexamined life is not worth living for
human beings” (37e–38a). What argument does he give for this radical claim?
17. How many jurors were there on the Athenian jury? How many voted to acquit, and
how many voted to convict Socrates?
18. Explain the problem of the One and the Many as it is manifested in
the Apology (the one just man unjustly convicted and sentenced to death
by many ignorant jurors; the dangerous ignorance of the many [30] tyrants, the
one knowledgeable expert who improves vs. the many ignorant non-experts who
corrupt, etc.).
19. Present Socrates’
Argument that Death is a Blessing. (40c–41c; see
handout)
20. What is Socrates’
“convincing proof” that his conviction and death-sentence
“may well be a good thing”? (40b)
21. Who was Leon of Salamis and how was he significant in Socrates’
life? Describe
Socrates’
story about the Thirty (tyrants). (32c)
22. Explain the story of the ten generals and the naval battle survivors and its
significance in Socrates’
life. (32 a–b) How does it figure into the
problem of the One and the Many?
Crito
1. What is Socrates doing when Crito arrives in his prison cell? What does Crito
remark about that? (43a–b)
2. What does Crito say there could be no worse reputation than? (44c)
3. Why does Crito think one must heed the opinion of the majority? Why does Socrates
reject Crito’s claim? What does Socrates say the majority does? (44d)
4. Explain Crito’s six reasons for why it is wrong for Socrates to submit
to being executed. (45a–46a)
5. What does Socrates say persuades him? (46b) Which opinions does he value and why?
(47a–d)
6. What does Socrates say is the most important thing? (48b)
7. What universal principle of action or unconditional ethic does Socrates embrace?
(49a–d)
8. What agreement does Socrates say he has made with the Laws of Athens? (50a–51a)
What two options does he have regarding Athenian Law? (51b)
9. Summarize the speech the Laws of Athens make to Socrates. For what reasons would it be
wrong for Socrates to escape from jail? (50a–54c)
10. What do the Laws say are “man’s most precious possessions”? (53c–d)
11. Who do the Laws say wronged Socrates? (54b)
12. Discuss the tension between Socrates’
rationalism (intellectualism: Crito
46b) and his religion (relationship with the divine: Apology 19a, 23b, 27c-d,
28e, 30a, Crito 43d, 54e).
13. Discuss the problem of the One and the Many as it is
manifested in the Crito (expert vs. non-expert; the god “the One and
the Truth itself”).
Meno
1. Explain the problem of the One and the Many as it
manifests itself metaphysically with the theory of Forms (e.g. 74d), with the
Unity of the Virtues, and with the virtue-as-knowledge of the true statesman (at
the very end of the dialogue).
2. What are the four possible ways virtue may be acquired that Meno presents to Socrates
at the beginning of the Meno? (70a)
3. What is arete? What kind of definition of arete does Socrates
want?
4. Compare and contrast dialectic and eristic. How
are they similar? How are they different? Who practices which? (75c–e and
85b–c)
5. Reconstruct the Argument that Everyone Desires the Apparent Good
(77c–78b; see handout).
6. How does Meno describe Socrates’
appearance at 80a–b?
7. Explain precisely what Meno's Paradox of Inquiry is (80d). What
does Socrates call this paradox?
8. What is aporia? What does it mean literally? Who experiences it?
(80a–b; 84a)
9. Why does Socrates think aporia is a necessary step in the process of gaining
knowledge? (84a–b)
10. Explain the Theory (Doctrine) of Recollection by specifying each of the five
elements (presuppositions) of this theory. (81b–d)
11. Who does Socrates say is his source for the Theory (Doctrine) of Recollection? What are
these people able to do? (81a–b)
12. How does Socrates try to demonstrate recollection at work? (82b–85c) Is this
theory plausible? Explain.
13. Reconstruct the Argument that the Recollecting Soul is Immortal
(85c–86b; see handout).
14. Explain why Socrates thinks we ought to reject Meno’s Paradox of Inquiry (the
Injunction to Inquire: 86b–c).
15. Reconstruct the Hypothetical Method Argument (87b–89c; see handout).
16. What assumption and what hypothesis is the Hypothetical Method Argument based on? (see
handout)
17. What are the Four Cardinal Virtues? Which of these cardinal
virtues does Socrates seem to think virtue is most intimately linked to?
18. Why is Socrates skeptical about Meno’s conclusion that virtue can be taught? (89d–e)
19. What does Anytus think of the sophists? Who are the sophists and what do they
do? (91d, 95c, 96d) Name several of the more prominent sophists. Which sophist
made the most money? (91d)
20. Describe the Argument that Virtue is Not Teachable (89d–96c; see
handout).
21. Explain the difference between right opinion (true belief) and knowledge.
Explain the Road to Larissa example and what it shows (97a).
22. What is Socrates’
example of the statues of Daedalus meant to show? (97d–98a)
How is being able “to give an account of the reason why” important? Who
does Socrates say is able “to give an account of their practices” in the Meno?
23. What do Socrates and Meno conclude about how virtue is acquired at the end of the
dialogue? (99e–100a) How is it that good men are (or become) good/virtuous? In
this respect, who are these good people like? (99c–d)
24. What does Socrates say about a statesman at the end of the Meno?
(100a)
Symposium