HZT4U

Dialogue Assignment
October 2020

You will be spending the next two weeks writing your own dialogue to explore a
philosophical idea of your choosing. This sheet will outline for you what you need to know
about the assignment.

There are ​two​ deadlines for this assignment:

Complete Rough Draft due.​:

Final Draft due:

You should talk with me about your ideas at the beginning of the process to make sure you are on track. I
will then be available to look at your drafts from ​after​ you have done the peer edit process. You will be
given class time to work on the

The Topic:

The dialogue needs to be a philosophical exploration of an abstract concept and needs to focus on a topic
that would have been of interest to Plato. Options include ​love, friendship, death, knowledge, truth,
wisdom, freedom, commitment, passion, time, courage, temperance, bravery, justice, kindness, humility,
charity, beauty, goodness, perfection, and the meaning of life.​ You can also come up with a topic on your
own, if you prefer. ​Remember, check your topic with me before you proceed.

Minimum Requirements:

1. The dialogue must be no more than six pages long

2. You must have a complete draft finished by the agreed upon date. You will have a peer assess your
work using the Assessment Checklist.

3. There can only be two characters – one of them is your central figure and the other is the supporting
character. Their names must appear before each statement they make.

4. You must avoid describing action as you would in stage directions for a play. It is a dialogue.

5. The dialogue must explore the meaning of the concept you chose and seek to establish a truth about it.

6. The dialogue needs to be divided into sections:

7. Elenchus​ section: begin with a section in which your central character is asking questions of the
supporting character. Definitions are offered and then discredited through logical questions and
analogies leading to a new and improved definition but ultimately not leading to a truth.

8. Platonic ​Dialectic ​section: In this section, begin with the supporting character explaining, at some
length, their theory about the idea in question. Then have your central figure offer their theory –
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 which is the final word on the topic from you. In this section, the following components should be
present:
a. there are claims made about the topic
b. there are longish speeches
c. the explanations/theories offered by the two characters are different in significant ways
d. there is at least one thought experiment
e. there is at least one analogy used
f. overall, there is evidence of a logical progression of ideas

Things you need to decide on:

● The setting
● Who the characters are
● The topic that you will explore
● The first principles that you will explore. This can be your own philosophical exploration or you can
apply Plato’s principles explore their effectiveness
● How you will logically develop your ideas based on the fundamental assumptions you chose – this is
your chance to be a philosopher!

How will I evaluate your work?

The Dialogue Assessment Checklist is attached. You need to have your peer editor use this checklist to
assess a complete draft. I will then use this checklist to evaluate your work.

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