week 1: Mon Aug 28 & Wed Aug 30
We will begin by examining the nature of justice. What is justice? Is justice what benefits the strongest? Is justice better than injustice?
watching/reading – The Melian Dialogue [video, PDF]
listening – Adamson, History of Philosophy, Episode 25 [link]
week 2: Wed Sept 6 — No class on Mon Sept 4
We will read Plato’s most famous philosophical dialogue, the Republic, beginning with book I (summary here). In it, Thrasymachus defends the view that justice is whatever benefits the strongest, while Socrates attempts to prove him wrong.
reading – Plato, Republic, book I [PDF]
NB: Assignment #1 [PDF] – due Sept 6
week 3: Mon Sept 11 & Wed Sept 13
In order to better understand the nature of justice, in book II (summary here) Socrates suggests that we draw a parallelism between justice at the level of the state and justice at the level of the individual.
reading – Plato, Republic, book II [PDF]
week 4: Mon Sept 18 — No class on Wed Sept 20
Same topic as last week.
week 5: Mon Sept 25 & Wed Sept 27
The parallelism between the state and the individual is further articulated in book IV (summary here). As the dialogue progresses, Socrates offers a definition of justice which does not reduces it to whatever benefits the strongest.
reading – Plato, Republic, book IV [PDF]
NB: Assignment #2 [PDF] – due Oct 2
week 6: Mon Oct 2 & Wed Oct 4
In book VIII (summary here) Socrates compares four types of governments with four types of individuals. This comparison makes clearer why a parallelism exists between the state and the individual.
reading – Plato, Republic, book VIII [PDF]
week 7: Wed Oct 11 – no class Mon Oct 9
In book IX (summary here) Socrates defends the claim that the just is happy, while the unjust is unhappy. If so, justice must indeed be better than injustice.
reading – Plato, Republic, book IX [PDF]
week 8: Mon Oct 16 & Wed Oct 18
Same topic as last week.