Create responses to Three of the following questions below .

Create responses to Three of the following questions below .
Use the following quote as the basis for your answer to question 1
“On the other hand, if I say that it is the greatest good for a man to discuss virtue every
day and those other things about which you hear me conversing and testing myself and
others, for the unexamined life is not worth living for men, you will believe me even
less.”
1. IF you took the above quote seriously, if it was the guiding principle of your life, what
would it mean to how you live your life? What aspects of your life would you examine?
What parts of your life might change? (Be as specific as possible in your response.)
2. In the “Apology” we get a hint that Socrates does believe in civil disobedience, when
he says to the jury that he won’t obey if he is told to stop his practice of philosophy in
order to live. Basically, he says he can’t follow an unjust law. In the “Crito” we hear
Socrates say that we must obey every law of the city, even if they are unjust.
Which of these two positions taken by Socrates resonates the most with you? Why?
Do you think contemporary society should tolerate acts of civil disobedience? Why/why
not?
3. Socrates believes there is an implicit agreement/contract that exists between
individuals– residents and citizens—and the state. (Remember, the ‘state’ for Socrates
means the entity that governs a country.)
Identify the obligations that exist between each of us as individuals and our
government?
In other words: what is the Social Contract we currently have
-this includes our responsibility as individuals within the system
-this includes responsibilities the government has to us
Ideas you might want to consider:
-how do we benefit individually from the Social Contract?
-how does society benefit from the Social Contract?
-what are the disadvantages to the individual as a result of the Social Contract?
-what are the disadvantages to society as a result of the Social Contract?
-is there another type of government system—another partner in a Social
Contract that could offer more benefits to individuals or society
4. In contemporary language, we might say that Socrates tackles the “nature vs. nurture”
question when Meno asks:
“…can virtue be taught? Or is it not teachable but the result of practice, or is it neither
of these, but men possess it by nature or in some other way?”
Do you think we are born good/bad or do you think it is our environment that makes us good/
bad? Basically, this is a human nature question—are we good/bad by our very natures?
If we are born good/bad, how do we hold someone accountable for their actions? If our
environment made us the way we are, how do we hold someone accountable for their actions?