Directions: Please read Plato carefully (ACM), pp. 326-331.

Introduction: The Myth of Er

1. Was Er mortal or divine? Who was he exactly?

Dialogue:

1. According to Socrates, what do mortals get from the gods if you live your life justly?
2. Why is living a just life even more important in death?
3. What did Er do on the 12th day of death?
4. According to Er, how was a "court" for judgment organized in the Underworld?
5. Why does the cycle of reincarnation last 1,000 years?
6. Er saw the giant spindle of Necessity that determined the launching of another life. Who is throned at the spindle and what are they doing?

1. What must each soul do once it reaches Lachesis? What is unusual about this?
2. Why is there danger involved when a soul reaches Lachesis?
3. What advice does Socrates give Glaucon in order to mitigate the danger?
4. According to Er, how does a soul choose its next life?
5. What lives did the souls of Orpheus and Odysseus choose for themselves? Is there anything surprising about this?

1. What happens after your soul has chosen its next life?
2. What role does Atropos play in this spinning "lottery" of life?
3. Where do the souls go once they leave the spindle of Necessity and what do they do there?
4. How are the new souls reborn?
5. What is one possible reason that Er's soul returned from the Underworld?