1. What is the purpose of political association? (Is there a purpose?)
2. How connected are the necessities of politics to the truth? Must a political order be grounded or at least looking towards something true as Plato suggests, or perhaps something else? Do members of a political community need to agree on certain truths? Can they? Obviously you can’t answer all these questions, but they are meant to stimulate inquiry about the central, first question.

3. In a part of the Republic that we don’t read, Socrates discusses the myth of Gyges’ ring, a ring that makes the wearer invisible (the source of Tolkein’s ring). Some of the young men Socrates is arguing with say that Gyges would genuinely be happy if he could take whatever he wants from others without getting caught. Socrates disagrees, why is this? Turn to the Stanford Encyclopedia entry on Plato’s ethics to find out why and discuss below. Do you agree with Plato?

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