Plato's Republic

by Plato

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Plato's Republic Questions and Answers

What is the main theme of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" in the Republic?

What was Plato's view on government? In Plato's Republic, what are is view on government, and what are the different types of government?

What are the features of Plato's ideal society in Republic?

Discuss your reaction to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave."  Did you ever have a learning experience that "turned your soul toward reality?"

Discuss the meaning of the quote, "The unexamined life is not worth living" with reference to Platonic ideas.  

Describe the education of the guardians as it is presented in books 2 and 3 of Plato's Republic.

How does the allegory of the cave relate to the Theory of Forms?

What are Plato's arguments for the existence of the three distinct parts of the soul?

Who were the drones specifically in Plato's Republic Book 9?

In The Republic, poets are banished. Why?

In Plato's view, the "spirit" or "spirited part" of the soul is distinct of the calculating and appetitive parts. What is his conclusion?

In The Republic, why does Glaucon tell Plato the story of the "Ring of Gyges?"

Why does Socrates see Homer and Hesiod as competition for the philosopher-king in the Republic?

What does Plato think about freedom for individuals?

Why did Plato hate democracy??

Explain Polemarchus's argument in Plato's book 1 of the Republic.

What's a common theme between the Mona Lisa and the "Allegory of the Cave"?

According to Plato, what was the central question of The Republic?

Why, in Plato's Republic, can't educators put knowledge in a soul that wasn't there before?

Why does Socrates compare us to prisoners in the "Allegory of the Cave"?

How would you explain Plato's concept of "Immortality of the Soul"?

When was Plato's The Republic written?

Do Socrates and Thrasymachus disagree about rulership, societal order, and the advantage of justice?

How does Socrates define function and virtue in Book 1 of Plato's Republic?

In Republic, why does Plato favor aristocracy over democracy? Do you agree?

What's a definition of justice in book 1 of Plato's Republic and why does Socrates find it inadequate?

What form of government did Aristotle favor?

What is Plato's view on poetry and unreality in the Republic?

In Plato's Republic, where is justice discussed?

Explain and critique Plato's conceptions of social justice, democracy, the function of a state, and "true aristocracy". Define social wisdom, and discuss its presence in Plato's aristocracy. Finally, compare Plato's political systems with the U.S. political system.

How would you describe the significance of the "Image of the Ship" in Plato's Republic?

What are the three types of good things categorized by Glaucon in Plato's Republic?

In Plato's Republic, who rules, who is ruled, and how does the "myth of the metals" reinforce this?

What similarities exist between Plato's class system in Republic and the Indian caste system?

What is your initial impression of the Socratic method in Plato's Republic?

What does Thrasymachus believe is the natural order of society? How does he differentiate between strong and weak individuals?

Why does Plato banish all writers from the Republic? How would you counter this decision?

How, according to Plato, do we know the Forms?

What is the main argument in Book VII of Plato's Republic?

What are the pros and cons of Plato's use of allegories in the Republic?

What is the strongest argument for Plato's ideal state?

How is Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave" similar to and different from the 1999 movie The Matrix?

Does the socializing process described in the educational system bring out the Philosopher- King's nature? Are Socrates's and Thrasymachus's views of ruling compatible?

Is Socrates' account of justice in the first four books of "The Republic" convincing?

In Plato's Republic, how does Socrates' notion of justice conflict with Thrasymachus'?

In Plato's allegory of the cave, why are the prisoners immobile?

How does Aristotle's "Poetics" respond to Plato's views on art's lack of utility in society?

What must occur for true justice, according to Socrates?

Why does Plato argue that the spirited part of the soul is distinct in "Republic" lines 439a-441d?

Does Plato express any positive views about poetry in the Republic?