Analytical Outline: Template

Analytical Outline: Template

  1. General Features of Reading
    1. What is the main thesis? What is the author trying to discover or prove?
                                               i.     Example: The author is attempting to discover the nature of love, and he argues that love is x
    1. In general, how does the author attempt to prove the thesis
                                               i.     Example: The author argues that nature of love is x by showing that love is either x, y, or z.  It is neither y nor z.  So, it is x.

  1. Details of First Argument
    1. Love is not y
                                               i.     Argument 1 against conceiving of love as y
1.    State the argument
2.    If objections to the argument are considered, state them.
3.    If responses to the argument are given, state them.

                                             ii.     Argument 2 against conceiving of love as y
1.    State the argument
2.    If objections to the argument are considered, state them.
3.    If responses to the argument are given, state them.

                                            iii.    Argument n against conceiving of love as y
1.    See above

  1. Details of Second Argument
    1. See above

  1. You get the idea!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Phaedo: One Argument, Objections, and Replies

The Phaedo is jam packed with arguments, objections, and replies. The most interesting exchange, according to me, is near the end after Socrates has given what is called his Affinity Argument. Here is my version of his argument  Post-existence of the soul: Affinity Argument 1.      Things that change and are composite are the particulars (the physical/material stuff).    2.      The forms are unchanging and simple (by definition). 3.      The things that change and are composite are perceived with the body.    4.      The things that are unchanging and simple are perceived with the soul.    5.      The body is like the things it perceives—changing and composite.  6.      The soul is like the things it perceives—unchanging and simple.    7.      The forms cannot be destroyed.  ...
Read more

Socrates and Akrasia

Most of us think that it is possible for someone to know what the right or good thing to do is and yet fail to do it. Indeed, most of think that we actually find ourselves in that situation fairly often. I know that I should be grading and yet.... I know that I should not lie and yet.... This seemingly common phenomena is called weakness of the will or akrasia. But Socrates denies this (or seems to). According to Socrates it is not possible for someone to know what the right or good thing to do is and fail to do it. If S fails to do the right or good thing, then S does not (or did not) know what the right or good thing is (or was). In other words, Socrates denies akrasia or weakness of the will. Instead, Socrates defends the following: If S knows the good, then S does the good Or, put differently, If S knows that doing A is the good/right thing to do, then S does A Or, put differently, S never knowingly does what S judges to be bad/wrong Soc's Defense Since Socrates...
Read more

Is Justice Intrinsically Good?

Here is a very crude and simple reconstruction of Socrates’ argument for the claim that justice is good for its own sake: 1. If justice is merely good for the sake of something else (merely instrumentally good), then being just without being properly related to that something else has no value. 2. But being just even without being properly related to that something else does have value. 3. Hence, it is false that justice is merely good for the sake of something else 4. Hence, justice is good for its own sake Analysis Premise 1 is simply definitional. If x is merely instrumentally good, then x is good only in relation to some other thing. So, take away that other thing and x ain’t good at all.  Premise 2 is where all the action is. Socrates defends it by attempting to show that it is better to be just even if one is perceived by all as being unjust than it is to be unjust even if one is perceived by as being just. If he can show that, then justice is not good me...
Read more