Explain Platos position and his arguments or reasons for taking it with quotes and citations from the text.

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Your paper will be a 3 section response to one of Plato’s philosophical ideas as listed below. In the First section you must
explain Plato’s position and his supporting arguments. In the second section you must attack his position by giving a
negative critique. In the third section you must propose and explain your own position on Plato’s idea and give your own arguments in support of it.

Paper Topic:
A Society is Just when everyone in it minds their own business – “Then it turns out that this doing one’s own
work – provided that it comes to be in a certain way – is justice.” (Plato 433B)

Book: ” Plato, Republic, translated by G.M.A Grube, Revised by C.D.C. Reeve Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992?

a link to the book in case you need it: http://books.google.com/books?id=znHMkh3DKusC&printsec=frontcover&dq=republic+plato&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LStxU4-MCYmtyATUloKIDw&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=republic%20plato&f=false

(the only source you should use is your Plato text )

Paper Instructions:

Paper Details :
a. Length: The paper’s total word count should be between 1050 and 1525 words
b. Introduction: Begin with a brief introduction and a thesis statement. (About 75-125 words)
c. Sections: Each of the three main sections of the paper must consist of 300-400 words.
i. Section 1: Explain Plato’s position and his arguments or reasons for taking it with quotes and
citations from the text.
ii. Section 2: Give some negative criticisms of Plato’s position and demonstrate that these criticisms
are strong.
iii. Section 3: Propose your own position and give arguments that support it
d. Conclusion: End with a conclusion that restates the thesis and resolves the paper. (About 75-200 words)

IV. Formatting :
a. Margins, font, and style: Follow the standard paper format as outlined in the Writing Policy and Standard
Format for Papers section of the syllabus. (Sec. 11)
b. Citation: If you use MLA then parenthetically cite the page or marginal number of any quotation or
paraphrase. If you use Chicago style then used endnotes, as opposed to footnotes. Regardless of which
system you use you must include a full bibliographical reference as the last line of the paper.
c. Sources: As this is not a research paper, (the only source you should use is your Plato text “Plato, Republic, translated by G.M.A Grube, Revised by C.D.C. Reeve Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992?. )
d. Do not plagiarize! (Please reference the Academic Honesty section on the syllabus (Sec. 12) for more
information on plagiarism) You are responsible for making sure that your work does not plagiarize.

V. Additional Notes:
a. Don’t give me pointless historical information or colorful commentary on Plato. Just respond to the arguments in a direct and concise fashion.
b. Don’t make baseless assertions. Be prepared to back up any of your claims with a corresponding
argument. Remember knowledge is true opinion with an account, so give your account.
c. Carefully edit your paper for spelling and grammatical errors. They will lower your grade.
d. Use of the first person is encouraged, but I am only concerned with what you can argue. Avoid phrases
like “I believe”.