Study questions

Social and Political Philosophy I: PHIL 243
Lecturer: Sandy Berkovski

Bilkent University
Spring 2026

Contents

1  Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War

1. Pericles' funeral oration
   1. What are the merits of the past generations of Athenians?
   2. What are the advantages of the Athenian democracy claimed by Pericles? List at least three.
   3. What are the advantages of the Athenian courage?
   4. Under what conditions should a state go to war?
   5. How does Pericles justify patriotic sacrifices?
   6. What is the virtue of women, as contrasted with the virtue of men?
2. The plague
   1. How did the plague affect virtuous behaviour?
   2. How did the society gradually crumble under the plague?
3. Pericles' last speech and Thucydides' evaluation
   1. How are the fates of the individual and the state are intertwined?
   2. Should the political leader's convictions change with the change of circumstances?
   3. How is freedom related to imperial greatness?
   4. Why can't the Athenians get rid of their empire?
   5. What is the source of Pericles' success, according to Thucydides?
4. The Melian dialogue
   1. Can human behaviour be governed by considerations of justice?
   2. Why do the Athenians feel compelled to punish the Melians?
   3. How do the Melians argue that they have common interests with the Athenians? What is the Athenian response?
   4. How do the Athenians argue that also the gods are on their side?
   5. How can the sense of honour make people behave irrationally?

2  Plato, Euthyphro

1. What is justice, according to Euthyphro?
2. Identify four definitions of piety proposed by Euthyphro.
3. What are the objections that Socrates makes against these definitions?
4. What is the significance of the distinction between "gods-loved" and "loved by the gods" in the third definition?
5. What is the relation between justice and piety?
6. Why cannot sacrifice be considered as an act of reciprocity between men and gods?

3  Plato, Crito

1. Why is Crito anxious to make Socrates escape prison?
2. Should we value the opinions of the majority? Why?
3. What is the highest value in life?
4. Should we return good for good, harm for harm?
5. Identify at least three reasons why citizens should obey the state.
6. Why is it important to show that the state is like a father to Socrates?
7. What is the evidence that Socrates in particular should obey the state?

4  Plato, Republic

1. Book I
   1. Should one always tell the truth?
   2. What is Simonides' definition of justice?
   3. Outline two arguments against Polemarchus' definition of justice?
   4. "Justice is the advantage of the stronger." What does this mean?
   5. Outline two arguments by Socrates against Thrasymachus's definition.
   6. How does Thrasymachus argue that complete injustice guarantee happiness?
   7. Should complete injustice still involve an element of justice?
2. Book II
   1. What is the origin of justice, according to Glaucon?
   2. What does the story of Gyges's ring tell us about the nature of justice?
   3. How does Glaucon show that the tyrant leads the happiest life? How does he improve on Thrasymachus' argument?
   4. How happy is the just man, according to Glaucon?
   5. How can an unjust man cheat the gods?
   6. What are the principles on which the city of pigs is established?
   7. Are the citizens of the city of pigs happy?
   8. How does the city of pigs evolve into the luxurious city?
   9. Who are the guardians of the ideal (healthy) city?
   10. Why should the guardians have philosophical knowledge?
3. Book III
   1. What is the role of imitation in the education of the Guardians?
   2. What imitation will be prohibited in the ideal city?
   3. What kind of physical education would the Guardians receive?
   4. How would the healthcare be organized in the ideal city?
   5. What is the import of the myth of the metals?
   6. What kind of life would the Guardians have in the ideal city?
4. Book IV
   1. Are the Guardians happy?
   2. What are the principles of foreign policy in the ideal city?
   3. How are education and biological selection combined to produce the ideal city?
   4. Why should the ideal city resist innovations?
   5. Why should the Guardians not be allowed to have private property?
   6. Will there be crime in the ideal city?
   7. Should there be laws in the ideal city?
   8. Why is the ideal city wise?
   9. What is the relation between courage and knowledge?
   10. Why is the ideal city courageous?
   11. Why is the ideal city moderate?
   12. What is the notion of justice?
   13. How does Socrates' definition relate to Simonides' notion of justice?
   14. What are the parts of the soul?
   15. What is the special feature of the just soul?
   16. *Is the ideal city based on brainwashing?
   17. *Are the citizens of the ideal city free?
5. Book V
   1. Was Plato a feminist?
   2. How is deception involved in the marriage arrangements of the Guardians?
   3. What are the principles of family life of the Guardians?
   4. Is the family life described in Book V a realistic proposal?
   5. What are the principles of just warfare?

5  Aristotle, Ethics

1. Virtue
   1. What is the relation between virtue and habit?
   2. What is the general idea of virtue and vice?
   3. What are the analogies and the differences between virtue and art?
2. Courage
   1. What is the goal of the "truly" courageous action?
   2. How does the notion of true courage fit the definition of virtue?
   3. How is civil courage different from true courage?
   4. What are the inferior kinds of courage?
   5. What kind of pleasure does a courageous man derive from his actions?
   6. How different is Aristotle's notion of courage from Plato's?
3. Responsibility
   1. What is the distinction between voluntary and involuntary actions? Illustrate with examples.
   2. Is acting under threat a form of involuntary action?
   3. What is the distinction between acting in ignorance and acting by reason of ignorance?
   4. Under what conditions should people be blamed for their actions?
   5. What kind of ignorance is aligned with evil actions?
   6. What is the relation between deliberation and choice?
   7. What are the objects of deliberation?
   8. Why does Aristotle claim that we do not deliberate about the ends?
   9. Is the man fully responsible for the formation of his character?

6  Aristotle, Politics

1. State
   1. What is the unique purpose of the state?
   2. Why does Aristotle insist that state is a natural object?
   3. How is the emergence of the state connected to the division of labour?
   4. At what point can we distinguish a (large) collection of villages from a state?
2. Slavery
   1. Can technology eliminate slavery, according to Aristotle?
   2. Why does Aristotle say that life is action, not production?
   3. How does Aristotle prove that slaves naturally belong to their masters?
   4. How to test whether a particular individual is a slave (by nature)?
   5. What, according to Aristotle, is the justification of obedience and political rule?
3. Citizenship
   1. What is the virtue of a citizen, as distinguished from the virtue of a man in general?
   2. Are good citizens required to be wise?
   3. Can a statesman rule citizens, like a master rules slaves? Why?
   4. Why is it better not to make "mechanics" citizens of a state?
   5. How important for the state are the emotional ties between its citizens?
4. Democracy
   1. How can multitudes arrive "collectively" at a sound judgement?
   2. How can multitudes sometimes have a better judgement than experts?

7  Cicero

1. Book I
   1. Explain the notion of honourableness.
   2. What is the origin of private property? What is its justification?
   3. Should there be exceptions to the general rules of justice?
   4. When is a war just?
   5. Can deceit be just?
   6. What are the different obligations towards different groups of human fellowship?
   7. How to characterize decorum?
   8. What is general seemliness?
   9. What is the role of "respect" in seemliness?
   10. What is the relation between shame and seemliness?
   11. What is the relation between self-control and seemliness?
   12. Outline the Cynical position on shame (as described by Cicero).
   13. What is Cicero's argument against the Cynics?
   14. How does the fact of different natures (talents) impact the duty of seemliness?
2. Book III
   1. Outline the rule of procedure. What problem is it supposed to solve?
   2. What is the place of individual in human fellowship? What implications should this have for ethical duties?
   3. Is violence against nature?
   4. Is there a different hierarchy of duties depending on the different fellowships among humans?
   5. Should a wise (important) man have priority for securing goods over a fool (useless man)?
   6. What is the role of intention in moral duties?
   7. Can a human be regarded as non-human?
   8. Can we lie for the sake of common good? How does the rule of procedure help us in this problem?
   9. How does the case of Gaius Fabricius illustrate the application of the rule of procedure?
   10. Reflect on the different scenarios in §§89-91.
   11. How does seemliness interact with the law of procedure?

8  Aquinas

1. Obedience
   1. Is there a duty to obey other people, according to Aquinas?
   2. Should God be obeyed unconditionally? Why?
   3. Should Christians obey secular political rulers?
   4. Should Christians obey tyrants?
   5. Is it the case that every tyranny is illegitimate?
2. Notion of law
   1. What is the purpose of law?
   2. Who is a legitimate lawmaker?
   3. How is natural law promulgated?
   4. What is the difference between eternal law and natural law?
   5. Why should there be natural law in addition to eternal law?
   6. Why should there be human law in addition to natural law?
   7. Why should there be Divine law in addition to natural law and human law?
3. Kinds of law
   1. How can we know eternal law?
   2. Why should every law be derived from eternal law?
   3. What is the domain of eternal law?
   4. What is the main precept of natural law? How can other precepts be derived from it?
   5. What is the correlation between virtue and natural law?
   6. Does the fact that God sometimes commands men to slaughter or steal show that natural law changes?
   7. How can we know natural law? Can we sometimes fail to know natural law?
   8. How can men be made good by human law?
   9. Why can't people be effectively governed by a few wise men, rather than laws?
   10. How does Aquinas prove that human law is derived from natural law?
4. Just war
   1. What are the conditions of just war?
   2. How can a just war be reconciled with Augustine's Christian principles?
   3. Who is exempt from waging a just war?
   4. What kind of deception is allowed in war?
5. Sedition
   1. Why is rebellion always wrong?
   2. Is an armed rebellion against tyranny justified? How does Aquinas resolve the apparent contradiction?
6. Homicide and suicide
   1. Are we allowed to kill any living creature?
   2. Who are the sinners?
   3. What is the reason for the permission to kill sinners?
   4. Who has the right to kill evil people?
   5. Why can't a private individual kill a sinner for the sake of public good?
   6. Is suicide permissible?
   7. Is it permissible to commuit suicide in order to alleviate pain?
   8. Is the reason of deterrence sufficient for justifying killing people?