Meno & Democritus PLATO

Part A- Fleferencing her collection of 100 bees, Alice identifies three of her bees as follows: (a) “A is a bee,” (b) “B is a bee,” and (c) “C is a bee. Fully explain how Plato would answer the following questions: 1. Assuming A, B, and C are individual bees, what, ‘rf anything do the three bees have in common? 2. If A, B, and 0 share something in common, can one point to it and say “there it is”? Why or why not? 3. How is it that we know that A, B, and C is a bee? Is it by experience or by something else? Part B: In the Meno, Socrates and Meno enter into the following exchange, commonly known as “Meno Paradox”: Socrath So now I do not know what virtue is; perhaps you knew before you contacted me, but now you are certainly like one who does not know. Nevertheless, I want to examine and seek together with you what it may be. Meno: How will you look for it, Socrates when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know? Socrath I know what you want to say, Meno. Do you realize what a debater’s argument you are bringing up, that a man cannot search either for what he knows or for what he does not know? He cannot search for what he knows - since he knows it, there is no need to search - nor for what he does not know, for he does not know what ESSAY ONE Essay One is divided into Three Parts: A, B, and C. Your answer to each part (not to each subpart) must be at least two pages. The three parts combined cannot exceed seven pages. Part A: Referencing her collection of 100 bees, Alice identifies three of her bees as follows: (a) “A is a bee,” (b) “B is a bee,” and (c) “C is a bee.” Fully explain how Plato would answer the following questions: 1. Assuming A, B, and C are individual bees, what, if anything do the three bees have in common? 2. If A, B, and C share something in common, can one point to it and say “there it is”? Why or why not? 3. How is it that we know that A, B, and C is a bee? Is it by experience or by something else? Part B: In the Meno, Socrates and Meno enter into the following exchange, commonly known as “Meno Paradox”: Socrates: So now I do not know what virtue is; perhaps you knew before you contacted me, but now you are certainly like one who does not know. Nevertheless, I want to examine and seek together with you what it may be. Meno: How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know? Socrates: I know what you want to say, Meno. Do you realize what a debater’s argument you are bringing up, that a man cannot search either for what he knows or for what he does not know? He cannot search for what he knows – since he knows it, there is no need to search – nor for what he does not know, for he does not know what to look for. Identify and fully explain the key point that Plato is making in this exchange between Socrates and Meno. Include in your discussion the critical assumptions Plato makes about truth and knowledge and how his theory of recollection factors into the analysis of the paradox. Part C: In the fifth century B.C. Democritus, a materialist philosopher, made the following statement: “by convention sweet and by convention bitter, by convention hot, by convention cold, by convention color; but in reality atoms and void.” In this statement Democritus argues for a division of the world into appearance and reality. Plato argued for a different division of the world. Fully explain Plato’s division of the world and how it differs from Democritus’. In writing your essay the use of primary sources is preferable, though you may consult, and use, secondary sources. Be sure to properly cite any sources, primary or secondary, which you use. Your essay is due to me in hard copy, by email, and by “Turnitin” at the beginning of class on February 12th. The Turnitin version of the paper is the “official” submission and the only one that I will mark up and grade. Please consult the ground rules regarding downgrades for failing to timely submit the paper by all three methods and, most importantly, for the penalties imposable for plagiarism. Your name, section number, and assignment number must appear in the header of every page, and every page must be numbered and stapled in consecutive order. Refer to the syllabus for a statement of basic principles of good writing. You may call or email me with any questions or concerns you have about the assignment so long as they do not relate directly to the substance of the issues. to look for. Identify and fully explain the key point that Plato is making in this exchange between Socrates and Meno. Include in your discussion the critical assumptions Plato makes about with and knowledge and how his theory of recollection factors into the analysis of the paradox- Part C: In the fifth century BC. Democritus, a materialist philosopher, made the following statement: “by convention sweet and by convention bitter, by convention hot, by convention cold, by convention color; but in reality atoms and void.” In this statement Democritus argues for a division of the world into appearance and reality. Plato argued for a different division of the world. Fully explain Plato’s division of the world and how it differs from Democritus’.