HCC PHIL1301 Module 3 Discussion Latest 2021 July

PHIL1301 Introduction to Philosophy

Module 3 Discussion

Please post in this mandatory discussion thread on Module 3 by Wednesday, July 28. (Please note the earlier due date; this is because an Exam is due at the end of the week.) You may respond to any or multiple of my questions below, raise a question/comment of your own, and/or respond to a contribution by your classmate. Your response to this thread absolutely does NOT need to answer all of my questions!

Remember to post a contribution of at least 200 words.

If you can answer most of these questions for yourself by the end of this Module, you will be in really good shape as far as comprehending the material.

Questions on Plato's Phaedrus:

1. Plato says, "To describe what the soul actually is would require a very long account, altogether a god in every way; but to say what it is like is humanly possible and takes less time" (524; 246a). What difference is Plato pointing to between an account a god could give and what is "humanly possible"?

2. Re-read the so-called Allegory or Metaphor of the Chariot (see pp. 524, 530-531). Outline the three elements of this tripartite (three-part) conception of the human soul, and give an interpretation of what these elements metaphorically represent or symbolize.

3. The two horses in the Allegory/Metaphor are hierarchically organized, that is, one is better than the other (see pp. 527, 532). Which horse is the better part of our nature, for Plato, and why?

4. See Plato's "spectacular vision" on pp. 527-528, and describe what the meaning of this beautiful image is supposed to be.