Plato reading questions/study guide:

Use these questions to help guide you in your reading and notetaking. Remember that you will likely
need to read slowly and more than once to gain a solid understanding, and there may be some passages
you still don’t understand or questions below that you can’t fully answer. Zoom classes will be used to
sort these things out, although you can also post your question on the class discussion board (doing so,
as well as helping to answer other students’ questions, will count positively towards your class
participation grade). Note that there are many online study guides and summaries of Plato, but they
differ dramatically in quality and often focus on issues that are irrelevant to this class. You will save time
by doing your own reading and engaged in the class.

Unless I specifically assign such, you do not need to write-up your answers to turn in; your notes in
response to the questions are used for you to study, participate in discussion, and complete assignments
(including the tests).

Note that Plato’s text has paragraph and line numbers; this is the easiest and best way to cite Plato,
since it allows us to find the textual lines even when we are using different editions (e.g., electronic vs.
print). The numbers refer to the paragraphs, and the letters refer to the lines (in English the text runs
onto more lines in print, but it’s still easy to find).

Background
**ALSO READ MORGAN’s INTRODUCTION TO PLATO IN Classical Moral and Political Theory (in the text
just before The Apology)

Plato (428 BCE-348 BCE) was Socrates’ (470 BCE-390 BCE) most famous student. Plato’s philosophical
writings take the form of dialogue and usually feature Socrates as a central character. Since Socrates
preferred speech to writing, we know Socrates primarily through the work of Plato. Plato’s dialogues
are artfully constructed philosophical works; they cannot be read as mere reports of conversations in
which he observed his teacher. Nevertheless, Plato’s works on his beloved teacher’s trial and aftermath
(Apology and Crito) are likely closer to historical reality than some of the other dialogues.

The Apology is Plato’s account of Socrates’ trial. Many Athenian citizens saw Socrates as a threat, as he
insisted on questioning the very foundation of the polis. Socrates (and Plato) saw such questioning as
essential to the polis—how can the polis continue if its citizens do not know what justice is? Plato
becomes disillusioned with Athenian democracy given its citizens’ treatment of his beloved teacher. The
Greek word “apologia” means explanation—this dialogue presents Socrates explanation for his actions,
his defense at the trial. As you will see in reading, Socrates is not sorry. He believes that his actions
were justified. Historically, Greek education focused on the study of literature, mythology, and physical
education. Around the same time that Socrates emerged as a new kind of teacher (a questioner of the
traditional) with new subject matter (philosophy), another kind of teacher also arrived in the
marketplace—the Sophists. The Sophists focused on rhetoric, that is, the art of convincing speech, and
showed disregard for either truth (philosophy) or tradition. They offered education to the sons of
citizens, teaching them how to convince others and get power, and thus also upset the traditional order
of things. Socrates and Sophists were entirely opposed to one another, but Athenian citizens saw them
as the same.
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The Crito focuses on one episode after Socrates is awaiting execution in prison. Like all of Plato’s
dialogues, the work focuses on a central question. In the Crito, the question is: should Socrates escape
from the city and avoid execution? Pay attention to how Socrates answers the question; it reveals his
understanding of the relationships between philosophy and the city and the citizen and his city.

The Republic is Plato’s longest dialogue; it focuses on the question of justice. The work is divided into
several books, and we will read only some of them. In Book I, the stage is set for the dialogue and we
are introduced to Socrates and his dialogue partners. Socrates and others are engaged in a question of
whether it is better to be just than just. Each partner represents a particular position in Athenian
culture. In Book II, the debate about justice continues, and Socrates suggest that it is better to see
justice “writ large” that is, in the bigger frame of the city rather than justice of the individual, and so
they imagine a city, creating it in speech.

Citations: When citing Plato, cite in parenthetical citation as follows (Plato, [Name of Dialogue],
(paragraph/line numbers]). For example, Socrates says that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”
(Plato, The Apology, 38a). If citing Morgan’s Introduction, cite (Morgan, “Introduction to Plato,” and
page numbers. NOTE that you should always try to find direct textual support; don’t just rely on my
word in class or in the study guides. So whenever possible, you should cite the texts rather than me (or
one of the background videos), but if you are relying on those sources (or some other external source),
you must cite it. You must provide citations for anything that is not general knowledge or your own idea
—whether you directly quote, summarize, or paraphrase.

Plato’s Apology
1) Socrates speaks of older and newer accusations. What are the older accusations, and why
would he mention them? Why does he claim it’s nearly impossible to defend against them?
2) Why does Socrates tell the riddle of Delphi? How does he try to solve the riddle, and what does
he learn from it? What does he think that the oracle of Delphi actually meant?
3) What were newer formal charges brought against Socrates? Find the relevant lines in the text
and summarize in your own words.
4) What is Socrates’ defense? Outline his argument and find the relevant lines to support your
interpretation.
5) Why is Socrates unwilling to accept a verdict that would spare his life but stop him from
practicing philosophy?
6) Why does Socrates say that he did not participate in public life?
7) How does Socrates respond to the verdict? What does he propose his punishment should be?
8) How might Socrates’ response made the jury even angrier, causing more to vote for the death
penalty than found him guilty?
9) For reflection and discussion: Why do you think he didn’t (or didn’t try to) convince the jury?
What tactics does he refuse to engage and why? Could Socrates have made a stronger defense?
Could someone else have defended him more effectively? If so, what might that defense look
like?
10) For discussion and reflection: Compare Socrates and Antigone.

Plato’s Crito
1) How does Crito try to convince Socrates to escape?
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2) What are the reasons that Socrates gives to support his decision to refuse help in escaping
prison? Find each in the text and explain each in your own words. Pay particular attention to
paragraphs 51-53.
3) How does Socrates conceive of the relationship between the family and the polis?
4) For discussion and reflection: do you agree with Socrates’ reasoning? Why or why not? Are
Socrates’s arguments in Crito consistent with those he makes in The Apology?

Plato’s Republic (in separate guide)