needs to be 3000 words and have references

1) Is it right to act in one=s own best interest or to obey the state? In other words, AWas Socrates right to obey the orders of the state of Athens to take poison, or should he have acted to preserve his own life by choosing exile or escaping?

Explain how either Confucius, Chuang Tzu or a Buddhist would support or condemn Socrates= decision.

2) Is it most important to value one=s own life, happiness and interest, or to obey the higher authority of the state?

(This question is similar to the above, but it is more open-ended, allowing students to formulate their own set of issues. Some might be interested in the concept of individual freedom and rights, wishing to argue against the tendency of Socrates and Confucius to place the state ahead of the individual.)

3) Is Taoism=s conception of the good more reasonable than Socrates=?

4) Is the development of the virtuous person more coherent in the Socratic or Buddhist tradition?