PHIL 681: Thirteenth Short Paper

Due May 11


(Reminder: You do not have to do this particular paper. You need to do any four short papers (or three short papers plus a presentation), plus the major semester paper, over the course of the semester.)

Option One
    Cassin argues in "Who's Afraid of the Sophists?" that Gorgias' "On What is Not, or On Nature" (also translated as "On the Non-Existent, or On Nature") is a refutation of Parmenides' poem. What exactly does Cassin think that Gorgias was refuting? How does she think he refutes it? Do you think that Gorgias has in fact achieved a refutation in the manner Cassin proposes? Explain.
    Cassin addresses only part of Parmenides' poem (or, part of the poem as understood "from Plato through Heidegger"). What of the other parts of the poem - are they refuted, are they addressed at all?
    One might also ask whether a poem can be refuted at all. If you wish to address that issue, make clear how the considerations you raise apply to Parmenides' poem in particular.
    You may certainly quote the text, but when you do so you must explain what you think the quotations mean and imply. There is no need to use any sources other than the assigned and listed recommended texts. Your discussion of these secondary texts should not simply repeat or paraphrase their arguments, but should also show your assessment of their accuracy and of the sufficiency of the support they give for their points. This paper should be approximately 4-5 pages long (typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins). It is due in my office on May 11.
(The Cassin article is in Hypatia 15.4 (Fall 2000): 102-120.
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Option Two
       Barrett argues in "Plato's 'Apology': Philosophy, Rhetoric, and the World of Myth" that Plato's Socrates character in the Apology echoes Gorgias' Palamedes character in a number of important ways. For Barrett, this suggests that Socrates agrees with what the Palamedes character says on certain issues having to do with the relative strengths and merits of truthful speech and persuasive speech. But does this mean that Plato and Gorgias agree on these issues? Explain.
    You may certainly quote the text, but when you do so you must explain what you think the quotations mean and imply. There is no need to use any sources other than the assigned and listed recommended texts. Your discussion of these secondary texts should not simply repeat or paraphrase their arguments, but should also show your assessment of their accuracy and of the sufficiency of the support they give for their points. This paper should be approximately 4-5 pages long (typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins). It is due in my office on May 11.