Instructions for the First Graded Paper: Rules of Socratic Reasoning

Minimum 1000 words (no maximum)

This assignment is probably very unlike most other college writing assignments you are familiar with.
    This treats writing as a kind of thinking. Rather than presenting a finished product of your thinking, this assignment asks you to show yourself in the process of critical thinking.  I will not grade you on your conclusion, but on the reasoning process illustrated in your paper.
    This treats writing as self-critical self-exploration. Self-exploration means that you are clarifying your thinking by trying to find words to clearly articulate your own sense of things. This is not reporting what others have thought about your subject, not arguing with others, not appealing to authorities, not presenting dictionary definitions. This will be most profitable if it involves trying to find words to express you own ideas that you find difficult to put into words.
    At the same time, this must be self-critical self-exploration. You need to play the part of "Socrates" for yourself, deliberately trying to find and resolve problems in ideas that you previously regarded as unproblematic.  Coming to feel confused about your topic is a normal part of this process (illustrated in many of Plato's Socratic dialogues), because part of the point is coming to realize your ideas are not as clear as you thought they were.
    Focused and disciplined writing. Even though this paper must be an attempt to develop your own thinking out of itself, it must also be very focused and disciplined.
    Everything must be focused on achieving a particular goal: Formulating description of some virtue at its very best, that you could (if you wanted) take as a model for long-term self-molding. This description should be such that each step you take to mold yourself on this model would make you a more admirable person.  Pick a single virtue (V). Everything in our paper must contribute to answering the question, "That kind of V that is admirable, what is the essence of what makes it admirable?"
    This is also a very disciplined way of thinking, in that it must follow very particular methods to reach this goal. The main such method is Socratic questioning, raising difficulties through "counterexample-stories" (#3 under A below) and resolving those difficulties through corrective clarifications (#4 under A below.)

Do not just write a paper explaining some good ideas you have about your virtue.   Papers that do not exhibit the reasoning process described below will be handed back to be rewritten.  I will be grading you on your reasoning process, not on whether I like your ideas.

Structure.

This paper should contain three sections, as follows:

Section One, Preparation: Expand your associations with your virtue by making two tables of contrasting terms, described immediately below.

Section Two, the Body of the Paper: Discuss at least three words or phrases connected with your virtue, following the four-step process described below.

Section Three, Conclusion: Write a conclusion that prioritizes and organizes the various concepts associated with V generated in the course of your discussion, working toward unifying your description of the essence of V by proposing a single concept that is the essence, and saying how other concepts associated with V are related to this single essence.

The paper must be a minimum of 1000 words, excluding Section One.

Two sample papers written by former students, a Socratic Discussion of "Patience" and a Socratic Discussion of "Being Soulful" illustrate these three sections.  I describe them more fully below.

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Section One

should consist of two tables, with two columns each. 

The following Section One of a student's discussion of "Patience" shows what this section should look like.

The first column of the first table (A1) in this section should list words and phrases describing some negative opposites of your virtue -- faults, weaknesses, problems that result from a lack of whatever virtue you are discussing, problems that could be remedied by cultivating this virtue.  The purpose of this is to stimulate you to expand your ideas of positive things associated with your virtue, defined by contrast with these negative opposites, which you should list in the second column (A2) of this table.  For example, some words describing negative opposites of the virtue of courage might be: paralyzing panic, unwillingness to take risks, shrinking back in the face of danger, letting concern for short-term safety overcome all other considerations.

The first column of the second table (B1) should list things that resemble your virtue, but are not admirable.  For example, some things that resemble courage but are not admirable are: foolhardiness, taking risks just to show off, risking one's life for something that doesn't merit risking your life, and so on.  The purpose of this is to stimulate you to think of words describing how admirable instances of this virtue differ from these things that might be mistaken for your virtue, but which are clearly not admirable.

The purpose of this exercise is

(1) To expand your associations with your virtue to make sure you have enough material to think about.  Words in the second column of each table (A2 and B2) should provide material useful in the Second Section.

(2) To stimulate you to begin thinking how to use defining-by-contrast to define your virtue.  (This could be useful in Section Three)

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Section Two:

Counterexamples and Clarifications

In this section,

V stands for the virtue that is the main topic of your paper.

W stands for some positive word or phrase connected with V (can be taken from Column A2 or B2 in the First Section)

Here is what this section should look like using the example of "honesty."  Do not omit any of these four elements.

#1 V=Honesty

#2 W="Telling the Truth."

#3. Counterexample-story to W = Sam goes up to the store clerk at Macy's and tells many truths by reading phone numbers out of a phone book.

#4. Clarification of W = Admirable honesty can't consist in the habit of telling just any truths.  To cultivate truly admirable honesty, one thing Sam must do is develop and practice the skill of knowing what truths are relevant to the situation at hand.

The purpose of the counterexample in #3 is to show an ambiguity in W -- the fact that W, which normally describes something related to admirable V, can also in some circumstances describe something not admirable.

The purpose of the clarification in #4 is to remedy this ambiguity in W, by defining its meaning in such a way that it refers to something only and always connected to admirable V.

Be especially careful to follow the principles for the use of counterexamples described in the previous essay.  Do not tell counterexample stories that you think are doubt-provoking or controversial or dilemmas.  Do not tell counterexample stories about a person who sometimes shows admirable V and sometimes does not.  Be sure you know the difference between a counterexample and an opposite example.

Be sure not to omit the Clarification, and be sure that it is a Clarification of W.  Do not just try to remedy the particular problem presented by this particular story, by saying what the person in the story should have done, or not done, instead. The clarification should contribute to the overall goal of this discussion: a definition of something internal to a person, such as motives or a skill that a person could work on cultivating as part of long-term character-formation.

Section two must discuss at least three W using this 4-step process.

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Section Three: Reflecting, Prioritizing, Unifying, Organizing

At the end of your discussion, you must spend at least 1/2 page (150 words)

-- reflecting on and trying to resolve various problems in defining V that have come up in your discussion, and

-- summarizing the conclusions you have come to, by sifting through the various positive words and ideas that have come up, prioritizing, organizing, and unifying ideas in this list. 

"Prioritize" means saying which concepts associated with V you think are not very central and which are more central. 

"Organize" means saying how you think the various concepts are related to each other in the case of admirable V. 

"Unify" means picking out or formulate some single concept that you think is a good single core "essence" of your virtue, around which you can unify and organize the other ideas you have generated in your discussion.  (This single concept will probably not be a single word.  It may take one long sentence, or several sentences to describe this concept.)

 Appendix I gives an example of a possible conclusion to a long discussion of Romantic Love.

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Criteria for Grading

Part of the requirement for doing this assignment well is just showing that you understand the mechanics of a certain logical reasoning process -- mainly connected with the 4-step process prescribed for Section Two, "Counterexamples followed by Clarifications."  I will give a base grade of 80 (B-) for students who show an adequate understanding of these mechanics.

But it is possible to do these mechanics mechanically, just going through the motions without much concern to make real progress toward the goal of this assignment.  I will add points to the basic grade of 80 for doing the discussion creatively and artfully.

Below is the evaluation sheet I will give you in grading your paper.  The grading criteria are explained in more detail in the last section of the essay on "Four Principles"

Sample Evaluation Sheet

A. Mechanics:

Give at least 3 examples showing an understanding of the 4-step process, and

Conclude by prioritizing, organizing, and unifying.

1. Mechanics of the Four Step Process

#1. Choose V carefully.  Focus throughout on a single V that is the name of single character-trait that might exist in a person.
   #2. Name a word or phrase (W) that names something existing in a person that you think is normally connected with admirable V, or that normally describes the admirable behavior of a V person.
   #3. Tell a counterexample-story that reveals an ambiguity in W, showing that the normally admirable W can be also refer to something possibly associated with V but very clearly not admirable.

3a.-- Avoid confusing a counterexample with an opposite example (opposite example = story about a person who lacks W.)

3b.-- Avoid presenting a doubt-provoking dilemma, or a story involving a controversy about what is admirable or not admirable.  You should not have to discuss whether the person in the story is acting admirably or not.

3c.-- Avoid telling a story about someone partly admirable and partly not admirable, or sometimes admirable and sometimes not admirable.

#4. Give a corrective clarification of W, removing the ambiguity in W shown in the counterexample.  The clarification should define that kind of W always connected only to admirable V, as contrasted with the non-admirable kind exhibited in the counterexample. 

4a. Do not omit the Clarification of the meaning of W following the Counterexample,

4b. Avoid giving a clarification that says what the person in the story should have done.

2. At the end of the paper, devote at least 1/2 page (150 words) to reflecting on problems raised in your paper, and summarizing your results by  prioritizing, and organizing several concepts associated with V, and unifying them around a single concept you propose as the essence. Do not omit this step.

Basic grade for doing these mechanics correctly (Maximum of 80)_________

B. Conducting the Discussion Artfully

1. Expand your associations with V, making sure you have enough material to think about.

Signs that you have not sufficiently expanded your associations are:
    -- you soon run out of ideas to critically examine
    -- your discussions revolve around only one or two ideas

2. Think up problems concerning admirable V that not easily resolved, requiring you to go beyond familiar and commonly accepted concepts.  Counterexamples are the main means of doing this.

3. When giving Clarifications of W following Counterexamples, try to make these clarifications something that contributes to the ultimate goal of the discussion, a description of the essence of V that a person could use as a guideline for long-term self-administered character-formation focused on V as an internal/invisible "virtue." 

Such a description of V should focus on internal habits of mind that make up a person's character, such as habitual motivations, skills, fundamental attitudes, habitual priorities for attention and concern.
    Give a corrective clarification that clarifies the meaning of W itself. Avoid giving a corrective clarification that adds another virtue that the particular person in the counterexample needs, in addition to W or V, in order to be an admirable person.
    Give a corrective clarification that describes something positive. Avoid giving a corrective clarification that says what should not be present, what a V person should refrain from.
    Give a corrective clarification as clear, specific, and detailed as you can make it. Avoid giving a corrective clarification that is brief, general, and vague.
    Give a corrective clarification that is original, finding words to articulate your own personal intuitive feelings and perceptions, finding words to articulate something difficult to put into words. Avoid just repeating standard and familiar words and phrases.

4. Work toward unifying your ideas about V around some single concept you want to propose as the single essence of V. 

This essence needs to be described in terms of internal invisible habits of mind (motives, attitudes, habitual concerns, skills, etc.) not advice or rules for what to do under what circumstances.

Conclude your paper by reflecting on problems raised and trying to resolve them, then prioritizing, organizing, and unifying the various concepts you have developed. 
    Avoid describing the essence of V by just giving an unorganized list of concepts needed in some kind of unspecified combination with each other.
    Prioritize: Say which concepts associated with V you think are not the essence. Say which concepts are closer to the essence and which are further from the essence.
    Organize: Say how some of the concepts associated with V are related to each other in the case of admirable V.
    Unify: Propose some single concept that you think is the essence of V (may need many words to describe.)

Points added to the basic grade, for conducting the discussion creatively and artfully________
 

93-100 = A = 4.0
90-92 = A- = 3.75             Grade for this paper               ______
85-89 = B+ = 3.25
82-84 = B = 3.0                 Points Deducted                   ______
79-81 = B- = 2.75
74-78 = C+ = 2.25             Grade for First Grading Period ______
70-73 = C = 2.0                   
66-69 = C- = 1.75
61-65 = D+ = 1.25
57-60 = D = 1.0
0-56 = F = 0

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Appendix I

A possible ending of a long discussion of Romantic Love

Some virtues, like loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, etc. seem to be two-sided.  You can't "be a loyal person" without having a specific long-term relationship with someone deserving of your loyalty.  Increasing the quality of my own loyalty to Bob requires to some extent improving the quality of my relationship to Bob itself.  Asking about the Platonic Form of Loyalty is not only asking about what motives I could cultivate in myself to increase the quality of my loyalty, but asking about what would increase the quality of a mutual and reciprocal relationship to Bob -- limited by Bob's willingness to contribute to this as well.

Romantic love seems to be a more extreme example of this.  Unlike cultivating the virtue of courage, you can't cultivate romantic love as a virtue, in isolation from some other particular person you've fallen in love with. And romantic love normally happens through "falling in love" with some particular other person, not through conscious efforts to cultivate this feeling or state of mind.  Nonetheless, we can distinguish the most admirable kind of romantic love from pseudo versions that are not admirable (obsession, insecure dependency, etc.)  And we can ask "What is the Platonic essence of Romantic Love -- what would this relationship be at its most perfect?" -- and distinguish this from the less perfect kind.  This would answer the question: If I want to "work on my relationship" -- work at increasing its quality, what is the most essential thing I should work on?  What kind of qualities and habits of mind should I develop in myself to increase this quality -- contrasted with other habits of mind and personality traits that might prevent it from being the best it can be?

The following is an example of something I would propose as a near-perfect definition of the Platonic Form of Romantic Love.  It's the result of my reflections on many class discussions of Romantic Love over about 20 years.  It is a sample of the kind of thing you might expect at the end of a good Socratic discussion. I’ve gathered many ideas from listening to many class discussions of romantic love (RL) over about 20 years.