Interpretative Paper #1
Paper 1
Interpretation and Analysis
Introduction to Philosophy
Due Friday March 10
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Assignment: Please respond to one of the following prompts in a 1-page, double spaced paper. The interpretative paper asks that you develop a close reading of one text we have studied, focusing on the details of the author's argument. Provide at least one quotation as evidence to support your interpretation. (15 points).
(1) In Plato's "Apology," Socrates claims that the "unexamined life is not worth living." What does he mean by this? What examples in the text can you point to that suggest Socrates lived his life according to this idea?
(2) In Plato's "Phaedo," Socrates claims that the body is like a prison. What does he mean by this? How does he compare the body to the soul?
(3) In On Free Choice of the Will, St. Augustine claims that free will is the origin of evil. What does he mean by free will?