At the end of the Apology, Socrates addresses those jurors who voted for his acquittal. On pages 42-43 he makes an argument that death is a good thing. The purpose of the paper is to analyze this argument, identify its weakest premise, and then argue either for or against that premise.

Socrates's argument can be formalized in the following way:

The Argument of Socrates that Death is a Good Thing

(1) Either death is like a dreamless sleep or it involves a journey to another place.

(2) If death is like a dreamless sleem, then death is good.

(3) If death involves a journey to another place, then death is good.

(4) Therefore, death is good. (from 1, 2, 3)

NOTE: The logical form of this argument is valid. Here is its form:

(1) Either A or B.

(2) If A then G.

(3) If B then G.

(4) Therefore G.

Every argument of this form is valid. Do you see why?

For Socrates's version of the argument:

A = death is like a dreamless sleep

B = death involves a journey to another place

G = death is good

(And since this argument IS valid, anyone who thinks its conclusion is false will have to think that at least one of its premises is false. Recall that a "sound" argument is a valid argument whose premises are all true. So the conclusion of a sound argument is always true. )

In what follows, I will sometimes say that an argument is "strong" or "weak" or that a premise is "strong" or "weak". Here is what I mean by that:

- To say that a premise is strong means that it is likely to be true.

- To say that a premise is weak means that it is likely to be false.

- To say that an argument is strong means that the argument is probably sound.

- To say that an argument is weak is to say that the argument is probably not sound.

The FIRST step in writing your paper is to answer this question: Do you think Socrates is correct that death is a good thing? You must settle on either a "yes" or a "no" answer to this question.

The SECOND step in writing your paper is to answer this question: Is Socrates's argument strong? However, if you answered "yes" to the first question, your answer to the second question could be either "yes" or "no". For example, I might agree with Socrates's conclusion, but still think that his argument is weak.

The THIRD step in writing my paper is to follow the instructions for either version A or version B below. • If I answered "yes" to the second question (that is, if I think Socrates's argument is strong, and his conclusion is most likely true) then I will follow the instructions for version A.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VERSION A OF THE PAPER

My paper will have five sections. These sections must be clearly distinguished. If you like, I may number the sections.

1. State what I'm going to argue in the paper: Socrates's argument, as expressed above, is a strong argument (i.e. that it is probably sound). You should in one sentence.

2. In their own words summarize Socrates's argument in ordinary language. Don't just list the premises, but explain what each of the three premises means as clearly as you can. You should also explain briefly why Socrates thinks each premise is true (if he gives a reason). This section should be no more than two paragraphs long.

3. Say which premise of the argument is the weakest (that is, the most likely to be false). This should take no more than one sentence.

4. Give what you think is the strongest argument in favor of the premise you chose in 3. In other words, give an argument that the premise is true. The argument should be expressed in your own words, but you may quote Socrates or use his ideas if you like (citing him with a footnote). You should not need to use any other outside sources, however, if you DO use other sources, you must cite them clearly with a footnote. The idea of this section is that I'm helping Socrates out by defending the weakest part of his argument. This should take no more than two paragraphs.

5. Give what I think is the best objection to your argument in 4. An "objection" is an argument that someone who disagrees with you might give against me. In philosophy papers, it is very important to consider how someone who disagrees with you might respond (how they might "object") to my argument. This should be no more than one paragraph.

6. Respond to the objection I raised in 5. In other words, give an argument against the objection, explaining why you think the objection does not ultimately succeed in refuting the premise. This section should be no longer than one paragraph.

Your paper should have no conclusion beyond your response to the objection in section 6.