Overview
Thought experiment: This assignment asks students to reflect on a contemporary political issue, topic, or problem of their choice from a classical perspective, i.e. with the objective of exploring the issue from either aPlatonic or Aristotelian perspective. Drawing on their understanding of the thought of Plato or Aristotle, students should focus on exploring the following sorts of questions: why would this be an important, significant, or relevant issue for the thinker in question?, how might the thinker in question approach the issue (e.g. how would they go about analyzing or diagnosing the issue?, what factors would they consider?, what kinds of questions would they ask?), how does this approach help us understand or diagnose the issue in question?
Avoid secondary sources. I am interested in how you think a particular contemporary political issue, phenomenon, or problem could be approached or explored from either a Platonic or Aristotelian perspective, with a focus on the types of questions specified in the outline. Keep in mind that you do not need to come to any specific or definite conclusions about what either Plato or Aristotle might think about the issue, phenomenon, or problem in question.
The assignment should be between 500 and 750 words in length.