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The just city by Jo Walton. For this report are: (1) first, write a plot summary, about 2-3 pages; (2) for the remainder of the report, about 5 pages, you will need to identify and discuss the philosophical concepts and problems (an obvious one is free will and autonomy versus the “common good,” specifically that creating an ideal society comes at a cost to personal freedom. However, don’t focus solely on this to the exclusion of other philosophical issues) found in this novel (many are discussed by its characters) — don’t just repeat the characters’ discussion, I want to see your own thoughts; (3) I hate reports that end abruptly, so make sure your report has a well-developed conclusion, at least a page in length. Include mention of what you think of this utopia (would you want to live in it? Take into consideration the viewpoints of both the children and the adult supervisors) and how faithful you think it is to Plato’s Republic (I’m sure you can find some pretty good summaries of “The Republic” on the internet). Something you might want to bear in mind is that the word “utopia” literally means “nowhere,” so utopian literature such as “The Republic” weren’t written as blueprints for a model society, but rather as guidelines for ways in which existing societies might be evaluated and improved.
