Write a 2-3 page paper on one of the following four topics.  Students also taking PHIL 100 must write this paper on topic (3) or (4).  The paper is due in class on Friday, October 15.  If necessary and with suitable explanation, you can get an extension on the paper.  But the extension must be arranged in advance of the due date.  Otherwise, late papers will be penalized as described on the Course Description.  Before starting, consult the Writing Guidelines handout on the course website.  Students are welcome to discuss their topics and drafts with me.

1. At one point in Plato's Euthyphro Euthyphro defines piety as what all the gods love (9d).  What does Socrates think is wrong with this definition, and why does he think this?  What, if anything, does this show about whether morality requires a religious foundation?  Explain.

2. At one point in Plato's Euthyphro Euthyphro defines piety as what all the gods love (9d).  What does Socrates think is wrong with this definition, and why does he think this?  What, if anything, does this show about Socrates's attitude toward conventional Greek views about the gods?  Explain.

3. In Plato's Laches Socrates describes some surprising implications of a cognitive conception of courage.  Explain this conception of courage and its apparent implications.  Should we attribute this conception of courage to Socrates?  Why or why not?

4. Explain why there is a potential problem reconciling Socrates's eudaimonism with the recognition of other-regarding virtues, such as justice.  How might his arguments about the relationship between wisdom and happiness in the Euthydemus (279a-281e) help address this problem?  Do these arguments resolve the problem?  Why or why not?