The Text Of The Meno By Plato

The Text Of The Meno By Plato
In the text of the Meno by Plato, the dialogue develops and attempts to answer the question of what
virtue is, and whether it is teachable. The paradox explained can be used to discuss merely anything,
and we can thus say that either one knows or does not know. If a person knows, then they cannot
investigate or question their knowledge. However, if a person does not know, they cannot inquire
about it which means a person cannot question for not knowing what they do not know. Plato goes
ahead and resolves the paradox in the Meno by saying that, "one would not seek what he knows, for
since he knows it there is no need of the inquiry, nor what he does not know, for in that case he does
not even know what he is to look for. (Meno 80E)"
The Meno dialogue elaborates that in order to understand ways of finding the diagonal of a given
square, a person needs to prompt knowledge that is concealed to the source. The Meno clearly states
that knowledge is an essence to belief. Therefore, what matters and draws an ethical line between
belief and knowledge is justification. If a person knows and believes, then it is not enough for one to
justify it solely on those means. The Meno dialogue explains that in knowledge, a belief needs an
account to tie it down and set a better example.
The Platonic theory of forms that Plato raised relies on the belief that the forms or ideas and not the
materialistic example or material is the highest most fundamental kind of reality. He uses the
principle of
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Socrates Vs Meno
In this writing, Meno asks Socrates if virtue can be taught or is virtue the result of practice or does
virtue come about in another way (70a). Meno believes that virtue is different for different actions
performed and it also differs in terms of the age of the individual (72a). Socrates responds by telling
me no that he does not know what qualities virtue possesses and he is ignorant to it (71b). However,
virtue should take on the same form (72c), rather than being different for different actions and age of
the person. Factors of virtue include justice and moderation (73b), and if people did not have the
same traits of virtue, then this would mean that they are not good or virtuous in the same way (73c).
During this conversation, Socrates ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Through this frustration, Meno compares Socrates to a torpedo fish which he explains the feeling as
if Socrates is making Meno feel numb in the sense that Socrates is leading Meno into a state of
confusion where he cannot find any information in his mind or he cannot speak his mind in a way
that he feels is logical. Too, before the conversation with Socrates, Meno found that he was able to
have other conversations with different people other than Socrates in the past regarding what he
thinks virtue is (80a–b). When Meno spoke about virtue, he felt confident in his answer for it,
however, Socrates has now made Meno feel unsure of his answer about what virtue really is (80a–
b). However, Socrates responds that even when he puts others in a state of confusion, he also finds
himself to be in a state of confusion. Therefore, he must be a torpedo fish that is numb that also
makes other people feel numb (80c). Socrates is constantly determined to find an answer for an idea
that does not seem to have any doubt in the answer. Therefore, he always seems to frustrate many
people who just want to state their answer, however, Socrates in way, is determined to help educated
that other person such

Meno Essay
There is not a great deal of context that is crucial to understanding the essential themes of the Meno,
largely because the dialogue sits nearly at the beginning of western philosophy. Socrates and Plato
are working not so much in the context of previous philosophies as in the context of the lack of
them. Further, this is very probably one of Plato's earliest surviving dialogues, set in about 402 BCE
(by extension, we might presume that it represents Socrates at a relatively early stage in his own
thought). Nonetheless, in order to understand the aims and achievements of the dialogue, it helps to
keep in mind some details about this lack of previous philosophies.
Since neither virtue nor any other concept has yet been defined in the way ... Show more content on
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If Meno is something of a dummy for aristocratic Sophist sympathizers, Anytus is even more clearly
a stand–in for the somber, unconsidered values of the Athenian political elite. An actual historical
politician of the time, he's grumpy, largely closed to new ideas, and insistent on inherited, class–
based customs as the vehicle for virtue––he suggests that any "gentleman" on the streets
of Athens is a fine example of virtue. Anytus, an Athenian conservative, despises the Sophists. Like
other prominent Athenians at the time, he is probably suspicious of the Sophists' cleverness with
words and their tendency to lead young followers away from success in worldly matters. Socrates
encounters this idea that philosophy is a corrupting influence in many of his dialogues, and that
perception will eventually lead to his trial and execution for "corrupting the youth."
Thus, Plato is all the more determined to highlight Socrates' profound differences from the Sophists.
We should note briefly the basic form of the Platonic dialogues: Plato, Socrates' student, has written
a kind of play, re–enacting the way in which Socrates practiced his philosophy (he did not write it
down, but simply argued on the streets). In reading the summary contained on this site, it may not
always be clear that Socrates is constantly asking questions of Meno, and only rarely offering

Socrates And Meno
Plato believed that our source of knowledge is an innate idea. Plato states that before we were born
we lived in a perfect universe, and everything in that universe was perfect. In his play Meno, Plato
illustrates this idea by telling the story of the slave boy. In the play, Socrates asks the boy to draw a
square that is double in size. After trial and error, the boy is able to draw the square. There is a
dialog between Socrates and Meno, where Socrates questions Meno on where the boy could have
obtained that kind of knowledge. Socrates tells Meno that the boy has had no formal schooling, but
still knows how to make the square bigger. Socrates concludes that it must be because the slave boy
lives in a perfect universe before being born. John

Plato and Locke's Views on an Innate Idea Essay
Plato and Locke's Views on an Innate Idea
What is an innate idea? This can be defined as some idea or mental
representation that is produced by outside perception or created anew by our
imagination. It exists in the mind in virtue of the nature of the human mind.
According to Plato most if not all of our knowledge is innate. However, John
Locke feels that we do not have any innate ideas. Then the question arises of
who is right or are they both wrong. In this paper I will attempt to examine
the conflicting views of Plato and Locke.
The problem that I will be dealing with involves the different views of Locke
and Plato. The main focus of the paper will be to deal with ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Like many others Meno believes he knows what the
virtues are. However, Socrates is not pleased by Meno's response to the
question. Meno states that, "it is easy to say that a man's virtue consists of
being able to manage public affairs and in so doing to benefit his friends and
harm his enemies and to be careful that no harm comes to himself." [Meno 71e]
This is not pleasing to Socrates because Meno also finds that women have
different virtues than a man. This topic alone would need an entire paper to
finish therefore, I will move ahead with innate ideas of beings.

Meno wants to know whether virtues can be learned or simply known. Can they be
taught to people or do we just acquire the virtues? Socrates believes that
one's soul or minds knows what one thinks he learns. As this question arises
Socrates uses the slave boy example to explain.
In this example Socrates has a slave boy look at a mathematical problem. After
the boy looks at the problem he cannot work it. However, after being showed the
problem and having it broken down the boy is able to give the right answer.
Socrates begins by guiding the slave boy by drawing out the ideas that the slave
boy already knows or are present in him. From this the slave boy uncovers that
he has ideas that he did not know he had before the encounter with Socrates.
Socrates shows that the boy has never

Essay on MENO: PLATO
"Socrates, can virtue be taught?"1 The dialogue begins with Meno asking Socrates whether virtue
can be taught. At the end of the Meno (86d–100b), Socrates attempts to answer the question. This
question is prior to the division between opinion and knowledge and provides to unsettle both.
Anytus participated in Socrates and Meno conversation about virtue. Socrates claims that if virtue is
a kind of knowledge, then it can be learned. If it is something besides a kind of knowledge, it
perceptibly cannot be taught.
Virtue is a particular moral excellence, a beneficial quality, or power of a thing, and masculine
strength or courage. At the end of the Meno, Socrates states that the hypothesis, "if knowledge is
virtue, it can be taught." 1 The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This extensive perception of virtue may include such precise virtue as courage, wisdom, or
moderation, but it should be possible to offer a perfectly general description of virtue as a whole, the
skill or ability to be fully human. It is impossible for each human being to have the same virtue
because everyone created unequally.
In the conclusion, Socrates explains virtue is a gift from the gods that everyone should have it. An
alternation to saying virtue is knowledge. Based on the reading, virtue is a true opinion.
Subsequently, true opinion needs to be tied down to be knowledge. Still, true opinion is as valuable
as knowledge, if it is dependable. Socrates says that we still have not scrutinized what virtue truly is.
In the Meno, Plato believes that true beliefs becomes knowledge by the grounding true belief. As
mentioned before, if virtue is x, then it can be taught (because knowledge can be taught), therefore
virtue (x) is equal to knowledge. Plato's expositions of elements of his own theory of knowledge,
yet, the investigation of knowledge is indirect. I believe Socrates states that everyone was born with
a knowledge of right and wrong, he / she needed to experience situations where he / she needed to
recall this knowledge. He makes reference to the initial knowledge being in the soul.
The epistemological distinction that Plato is attempting to illuminate in this

The Between Socrates And Meno
Meno was a student of Gorgias, and he has a long discussion with Socrates about what virtue is.
Socrates and Meno wonder if virtue can be taught, Meno proposes that it may be a result of practice
or an inherent trait, but before they can answer that question they first need to agree on what virtue
is. Meno makes multiple attempts at a description of virtue and Socrates points out potential
problems. A definition of virtue is not settled, which leads to the discussion about the problem of
learning. If neither or them know what virtue is then how will they know if they find it. Plato
describes this ongoing discussion between Socrates and Meno.
Meno's first attempt at the description of virtue is listing examples. The health of a man is the same
as that of a woman, is virtue the same for both as well? Meno states that there are certain virtues for
men, like managing public affairs, helping friends, harming enemies, and protecting oneself. There
are different virtues for women, managing the home, protecting possessions, and being submissive
to one 's husband. There are also different virtues for children, slaves, the elderly, and so on. The
virtue of a man consists of managing his city well while the virtue of a woman is managing her
household well. It is agreed that both of these things need to be managed moderately and justly. So
both the men and women need justice and moderation in order to achieve their virtue well. It is also
decided that all men are good in the same way,

Meno Dialogue
"Meno" by Plato, is a dialogue that discusses the idea of virtue and discusses the idea of human
nature and how we learn. The main speakers in the dialogue are Socrates and Meno. At the
beginning of the dialogue Meno poses many inquiries about virtue. He has many skillful exchanges
with Plato on the definition of virtue, which is when this passage comes along. "Socrates: ...So now
I do not know what virtue is; perhaps you knew before you contacted me, but now you are certainly
like one who does not know. Nevertheless I want to examine and seek together with you what it may
be." (Meno 80d) to which Meno replies "Meno: How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not
know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not ... Show more content
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For example, if we were to inquire "What is that statue?", there is no chance a recollection of the
past can answer this, but when we look at the name plate at the bottom and learn whom and why this
statue was created, we have effectively learnt about the statue. This is a more synthetic answer and
question. As you can see, there is a plethora of these type of questions that the idea of recollection
cannot cover. What Plato's recollection covers is more conversely known as our innate ability to
induce and infer based on past experiences. This can be seen in the slave boy example, as the slave
boy learns from experience "Socrates: But if it is two feet also that way, it would surely be twice two
feet? – Yes" (Meno 82d). It can be said that the idea of recollection only covers analytical answers.
That is, questions and answers that can be reduced down to a base case and built on towards the goal
are what an analytical question or answer would be. An idea that encompasses this, for example, is
putting parallel two rulers of the same size beside each other and understanding that they are

Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living
During the trial of Socrates in Plato's The Apology, Socrates himself states "The unexamined life is
not worth living" (Plato, p.40). Over the millennia this quote has sparked debate about what point
Socrates was trying to make. A general agreement has been met in which everyone realizes that
Socrates is not suggesting death within this quote. However, my personal belief is that an
unexamined life is not worth living because one must fulfill their own wholesome, proper purpose,
relative to what they think that is an examined life. Superstar athletes are put on a platform by
society where they can promote their ideals of an examined life, or vise versa . Giving the
comparison of two football players, JJ Watt and Ray Rice, we can see how someone with authority
and power relative to the public eye can use said authority to live an examined life, or to do
completely the opposite. In 2014, Ray Race, a two time all star halfback for the Baltimore Ravens
was found guilty of domestic abuse towards his wife, Janay Rice. As quoted from Janay Rice
"Reality is a nightmare in itself"(Rice, Janay). Following the trial Ray Rice was permanently
suspended from NFL action, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which many assume he was
destined for. Compare this to the recent action of Houston Texans superstar, JJ Watt. After the
devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey on the suburban Houston area, JJ Watt took the task upon
himself. Over the weeks since Harvey, Watt has reached out to

Knowledge And Virtue In Meno
Socrates is known as one of the most prestigious philosophers to ever be alive. In his writing Meno,
he tries to figure out or show what knowledge and virtue truly are. Throughout Meno, Socrates uses
the argument that knowledge and virtue either are used for good or for evil. The majority of men are
good and honorable which always strives for good, but there are some men that want evil and strive
for folly. In his argument, Socrates explains that knowledge is something more than just true
opinion. His argument explains knowledge as being something that was given to us when we were
born. Socrates believes that true knowledge and opinion will always end up giving the correct
answer to any sort of issue. When looked at throughout this text, this ... Show more content on
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So what is the difference between the two? Socrates believed that knowledge was something better
than true opinion, which is very true, but I have an even better, slightly different description. I firmly
believe that true opinion comes out of the knowledge that we learn. Without knowledge of anything,
how can one have an opinion? Socrates thought of knowledge as something that can be true or false.
This is another area that I disagree with him on. Knowledge can give you information on all things.
You may receive knowledge about beneficial things or you may receive it on something that could
be harmful. Either way, it does not make the knowledge false. All knowledge is true; it just may be
given for different

Meno Vs Socrates
Socrates interaction with Meno started a chain reaction of arguments, claims, and theories. Socrates
is known for exposing the ignorance of ethical claims and definitions. In Plato Socrates justifies his
actions by stating how he is essentially providing society a service by teaching proper moral values.
He believes that living a good life is knowing one's limitation on their intelligence and seeking
knowledge that could help them morally and intellectually. On this basis, Socrates enlists an
argument with Meno of what is virtue in terms of the form and characteristics. Socrates, himself,
confessed he did not know what virtue is, and in the hope of doing so, presses Meno on his
interpretations of virtue. In Plato's, Meno Socrates deducts a claim that "no one desires bad things''
and gives a valid argument that considers human values and human reasoning.
Meno begins to understand the type of definition, Socrates is looking for of virtue, rather than
stating examples or qualities. He asserts that "Virtue is to desire beautiful things and have the power
to acquire them" (Meno 77b), meaning men who desire beautiful things desire good things. From
this definition, one can see that both Meno and Socrates agree that what is beautiful is also good.
However, the notion of what is beautiful differs significantly among people. What is beautiful for
one man can be something undesirable or bad to someone else. In this sense, the "good thing" is
what is virtuous, but since all men consider different things to be good and bad the definition cannot
be applied universally. Socrates premise is that no one desires bad things and therefore humans have
an instinct to aim for what is good and beneficial to them. Socrates builds his argument by further
questioning Meno. They concluded that there are people who desire bad things and some that desire
good things. Socrates distinguishes people who desire bad things into two separate arguments.
Socrates first objection is toward how men knowingly desire bad things. He states that when men
recognize that what they desire is bad, then they also know that it is harmful for them. It is
impossible for them to not be miserable when they are being harmed. But, no man wants to be
miserable

Meno: Can Virtue Be Taught?
The central theme of one of Plato's Five Dialogues, Meno, is to find an answer to the question, "can
virtue be taught?" Before answering this question for Meno, Socrates first wants to define virtue
because he does not know how one can decide if something can be taught, when one does not
technically know what that thing is. Throughout their discussion, they decide on various definitions
of virtue, but never decide on one that actually makes sense. The dialogue concludes with Socrates
revealing that he believes that virtue cannot be taught because it is not knowledge. Therefore, it is a
gift from the gods. Having been alive for almost two decades now, I feel as though I have learned
what virtue is because it has been taught to me from various ... Show more content on
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He argues that we can learn things like math and learn areas of trade because there are people that
can't teach those things. However, because there is no teacher of virtue, it is impossible to be a
student of it. While these premises do lead to a valid conclusion, I believe that this argument is
unsound. When Socrates argues that a teacher of a specific subject can teach others that specific
subject, he neglects to realize that when this subject is being taught, many other subjects are being
learned as well. For example, in a class of mathematics, the student does not just learn math from
the teacher. The student learns how to problem solve, how to take standardized tests, how verbalize
the steps they took to reach an answer, and much more. When a doctor teaches an aspiring doctor,
they do not simply learn about medicine and illness. They learn how to treat patients, how to analyze
situations, and how to deal with time management. The point is, people don't learn one thing from
one teacher. They learn many, and the same goes for virtue. Just because there is not a specific
teacher of virtue does not mean that one cannot learn virtue through other means of

Meno Paradox Essay
Meno's paradox states that is impossible to gain new knowledge using inquiry. In this essay I will
explain Meno's paradox, and then I will analyse 'the theory of recollection', the solution to it given
by Plato. In Plato's Meno, Socrates and Meno attempt to answer the question, 'What is virtue?'
Through this discussion, Meno is lead to question whether they are even able to arrive at an answer,
presenting us with the paradox of inquiry, 'And how will you enquire, Socrates, into that which you
do not know? What will you put forth as a subject of enquiry? And if you find what you want, how
will you ever know that this is the thing which you did not know?' (Meno 80d). Meno's paradox
states that one cannot gain knowledge through enquiry. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He calls over a slave boy, who has had no education or experience with mathematics, and asks him
to solve a mathematical problem. He draws geometric figures in the ground and asks the slave to
work out how long the sides of a square, of twice the area, would be. Initially, he gets the answer
wrong but, through guidance from Socrates, eventually he reaches the correct answer. Socrates
never actually explains anything to the boy, but instead helps him to think for himself. Socrates
argues that, as the slave reaches this conclusion by himself, he is recollecting knowledge he already
possessed. (Meno 84–85). However, Socrates' use of the slave boy appears to be a flawed proof of
the theory of recollection. Is it not feasible that the slave just has the innate ability to reason
mathematically? We can oppose that the slave is recalling prior knowledge, and instead accept that
he is activating inherent skill. Further, Socrates guides him to the correct answer through
questioning; He claims this simply spurred on his recollection of a priori knowledge, but arguably
this means the boy didn't make this discovery by himself. It's unlikely that the boy could arrive to
this answer without any help at all and appears that Socrates feeds the boy the answer through a
series of carefully constructed questions. In 'An Essay Concerning Human Understanding', John
Locke, poses a case against the belief

Comparing Plato's Meno And Socrates
In Plato's Meno, the characters Socrates and Meno are introduced as Socrates being a teacher and
Meno being a young aristocrat. Meno questioned Socrates on whether virtue is teachable, acquired
through practice, or is natural. Socrates replied that he knows not what virtue is, so if he does not
know, how could he know what qualities it possess. Meno jumped at the opportunity to define virtue
to Socrates but each definition is refuted. Meno and Socrates failed to reach an agreement on a
definition. Meno, however, raised an important question during this debate and this sparked an
interesting discussion. His question was, "And how will you enquire, Socrates, into that which you
do not know? What will you put forth as the subject of enquiry? And if you find what you want,
how will you ever know that this is the thing which you did not know?" (80e, Plato) In other words,
he's asking Socrates how he knows what definition he's looking for if he does not know the qualities
virtue possess – as he previously stated. At the time Meno rightfully seemed skeptical about the
concept of virtue because it appeared to be very paradoxical to him. Meno believed it was ... Show
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He began by using the example of one's soul. Socrates says that your soul will live on forever and it
cannot be destroyed or damaged unlike your body, immortal. He believed that your soul was present
during the previous generations and it will be present in the generations to come. He even says your
soul has "been born often and has seen all things...there is nothing which it has not learned"(81d,
Plato). In other words, the lessons learned in the past stay forever and they are recollected in the
future and applied to the knowledge that is about to be acquired. Learning and recollection go hand
in hand, as one typically remembers what they have learned in the pass when acquiring new
knowledge. Meno is skeptical of this theory and asks Socrates to show him what he

Plato's Meno Constructs
In Meno, Plato argues that because information cannot be learned, but is instead recollected, then
learning is impossible. Plato constructs this claim by arguing:
(1) Either one already knows what one wants to learn, or one does not already know what one wants
to learn. (Premise)
(2) If one already knows what one wants to learn, then learning is impossible. (Premise)
(3) If one does not already know what one wants to learn, then learning is impossible. (Premise)
(4) Therefore, learning is impossible (CD,2,3)
The argument is valid, because the conclusion (4) can be derived from (2) and (3) using the
constructive dilemma rule. Plato's first premise appears to be true. In the

Plato 's Meno As A Socratic Discussion On Human Sexuality...
Plato 's Meno is a Socratic discussion on the definition of human virtues where the main participants
are Socrates and Meno. Other speakers in the dialogue include an Athenian politician, one of Meno
's slaves, and Socrates' prosecutor Anytus, who is a friend to Meno. Meno wants to understand the
broad definition of human virtues and while visiting Athens he initiates the dialogue on virtues with
Socrates. The discussion begins with Meno inquiring from Socrates whether virtues can be learned.
Meno argues that, according to the Georgian's, the attribute is defined differently by different
people, and there is no common way to define it so as to apply it to all human beings. In response,
Socrates argues that the Georgians do not understand the real meaning of virtue and in his opinion
that some attributes are common to all human beings. Socrates also rejects the idea that virtues
depend on human sexuality and age and insist that there are common attributes in humans. The
conversation between the two becomes an argument on about the perfect definition of human
characteristics. In essence, this paper discusses the critics in Plato 's Meno that led to a senseless
conclusion on virtues as it was significantly contributed by Socrates. As well, the paper will support
the argument that the agreement between Socrates and Memo was based on distinct ideas.
A misunderstanding starts when extracting virtues from the human characters. Meno, defines quite a
number of human virtues, but

Socrates And Meno: The Nature Of Virtue
In the Meno, Socrates and Meno discuss the nature of virtue, the process of acquiring knowledge,
and also the concept of the teachability of virtue. Throughout the text, Meno suggests many varying
definitions for virtue, all of which Socrates is able to dismantle. The point is also raised that it may
be impossible to know about something that was not previously understood, because the searcher
would have no idea what to be looking for. To dispute this, Socrates makes a point that all
knowledge is innate, and the process of "learning" is really just recollecting knowledge that is buried
deeply within the human mind. The issue of the teachability of virtue is an important theme in this
dialogue because it raises points about whether virtue is knowledge, which then leads to the issue of
knowledge in general. When Socrates and Meno are trying to deduce the qualities and definition of
virtue, one of their results is that virtue must be a kind of wisdom. Socrates makes the claim that
"virtue is something in the soul and it must be beneficial, it must be knowledge, since all the
qualities of the should are in themselves neither beneficial nor harmful, but accompanied by wisdom
or folly they become harmful or beneficial. This argument shows that virtue, being beneficial, must
be a kind of wisdom" (88c–d). In this claim, Socrates is assuming that only wisdom and folly are the
culprits to making elements of the soul harmful or beneficial. Since Socrates also claims that virtue

Discussion of Virtue in Meno by Socrates
Plato reveals the views of Socrates on the query of whether virtue is knowledge and whether virtue
may be taught in a number of dialogues, mainly in Meno. In the dialogue, Socrates creates several
differing arguments on virtue, which include the definition of virtue and questions on whether
persons can attain it. In addition, Plato demonstrates the means by which virtue can be obtained, as
well as ponders on whether persons are born virtuous, whether virtue may be taught or it is an added
factor for righteous individuals (Novelguide.com n.pag.). The paper will focus on Socrates' query of
whether virtue is knowledge as well as highlight whether virtue may be taught. After Meno asks his
initial question, that is whether a person can be able to be taught virtue, or a person can gain the
same through nature, Socrates assents to continue but argues that a common understanding is
required since neither of them could be capable of comprehensively explaining the meaning of
virtue. Then Meno was made to consent that if virtue is not knowledge then one cannot be taught
virtue. However, if it is knowledge, it can be taught (Holbo and Waring). Socrates asserts that a
person can teach something only if he or she is acquainted with what it is that he/she is teaching. A
person who does not know how to drive a vehicle himself of herself is unlikely to be capable of
teaching another person how to do so. Meno and Socrates fully agree that no one exactly knows
what virtue means, and due to

Meno Vs Socrates
Meno, written by Plato, is a dialogue between two men, Socrates and Meno, which discusses the
nature of virtue. At the end of the dialogue, Socrates suggests that a man's virtuous actions can be
derived from either knowledge or true opinion. Meno then wonders how knowledge and true
opinion are different if both concepts can produce identical results. Socrates answers with an
analogy, which provides a valid and sound argument about why he believes knowledge to be more
valuable than true opinion. The first point Socrates makes is that all opinions are inconsistent. An
opinion can be true just as well as it can be false, considering opinions are the result of what one
thinks to be true rather than knowing it is true. This point is mentioned earlier ... Show more content
In fact, I think most people would agree that this is a valid argument. In the event that all of his
premises are true, there is no way his conclusion can be false. While reading Meno, I thought
Socrates supplied sufficient support for his argument, such as when he made his point with the slave
boy. However, one may doubt the soundness of this argument by questioning Socrates's third
premise. "But what about the scenario with the man who knew his way to Larisa and the other man
who had a true opinion about the way to Larisa? If they both told you the right way to get to Larisa –
if they were both reliable, how can you say knowledge is more valuable than true opinion", someone
may ask. In order to hopefully convince them of Socrates's argument, I would create a scenario of
my own. I would say to them, "Perhaps you have a child and your child drowns one day when you
both are swimming at a pool. The lifeguard rushes over to perform CPR, however another parent
comes up to you and your child and insists that you should let them perform CPR. 'It can't be that
hard, right? I think you just do thirty chest compressions and then breathe into their mouth twice',
the parent says. Who would you trust the parent to perform CPR on your

Paradox Of Meno And Meno
The Paradox of Inquiry is also known as Meno's Paradox, there are a few interpretations to this
dialogue which can appear to be quite challenging to understand. In the Paradox, Socrates and Meno
are inquiring into the term "virtue" and what the definition of "virtue" might be. Socrates postulates
three possible options of acquiring knowledge in the Meno; finding out for yourself, learning from
someone else or by a divine inspiration. My thesis is that .......
Meno questions Scorates about how he will search for virtue and know what it is – MENO: "How
will you look for it Socrates, when you don't know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for
something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is ...
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Therefore, knowledge does dissolve the paradox and belief doesn't according to Socrates. Pre–
existing knowledge dissolves the paradox in two main ways, one being that we can consciously not
know things but recollect our previous knowledge and therefore recognise when we've found them
and the other being we can know things through pre–existing knowledge and still search for them.
In the paradox, Meno insists on Socrates proving that learning is simply recollecting information.
Socrates begins to dissolve the paradox by stating that the soul is in fact immortal. Our souls go
through a process of anamnesis which is simply just recollecting previous information. To prove that
our souls have past experiences from multiple lives, he presents Meno with a scenario involving a
slave boy and a simple geometric inquiry. In short, Socrates tries to prove that even a slave boy who
appears to have no knowledge, can work out a simple geometric problem. The slave boy at first
gives a few wrong answers and Socrates had to ask follow up questions to bring the slave boy to the
right answer, however in no way did Socrates give the slave boy the answer – from his recollection
of past experiences, the slave boy managed to correct himself and come to the right answer on his
own. Therefore, we have pre–existing information in our souls and it is only a matter of
remembering past information.
It may seem as though Socrates dissolved the paradox of inquiry

Platos Meno Essay
The dialogue opens up with Meno asking what virtue is and whether it could be taught. Socrates
asks Meno for a general definition of virtue, since as Socrates points out, we cannot figure out if
virtue can be taught if we do not have a clear idea what it is. Socrates is looking for a general, or
formal definition of virtue, not just examples or instances of it. Socrates wants to know what all the
examples of virtue have in common. He wants to know the essence of virtue. Meno initially offers a
list of virtues, but Socrates rejects this as a sufficient account. Meno also states that there are
different virtues for everyone. The virtue of a man is to order a state and the virtue of a woman is to
order a household. I believe that virtue can ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
First, it needs to be determined if virtue is a kind of knowledge. Then if it is, we can conclude it can
be taught. And if virtue is not knowledge, thus concluding it cannot be taught. Socrates argues that
virtue is knowledge, but then he changes course abruptly at and begins to argue the other side.
Socrates points out there are teachers for medicine, priesthood and so on; everybody agrees that
these are genuine teachers, whereas people disagree about whether the Sophists really do teach
virtue. Maybe this again is because virtue cannot be taught.
Neither of the early questions – whether virtue is knowledge, whether virtue can be taught, the
nature of virtue itself – are answered. We arrive at some clarity about the unexpected issue of the
nature and importance of knowledge. Knowledge is justified as true belief. You need to be able to
explain and support your true belief because otherwise this knowledge will escape form the mind.
Socrates uses the slave boy to demonstrate the process of recollection by asking him questions about
a geometrical problem. Socrates has shown that there exists an additional cognitive state that can
guide one much in the same way as one guided by knowledge. This state is the state of true opinion.
Although true opinion is always true, it is fleeting and impermanent.
I believe virtue is anything that may be advantageous in one's own way. It may be good, it may be
bad in

Analysis Of Virtue In Meno By Plato
Virtue is something insurmountably perplexing but infinitely used within society. Although hard to
define, Virtue seems to be a type of knowledge that depicts our moral standards. After reading Meno
by Plato, I conclude that virtue can in fact, be taught. Through the Meno, Socrates converses with
Meno beginning to end on what Meno believes "virtue" is. Socrates admits that he 'knows that he
does not know' what the definition is, but he knows the process and how to find out what it may be.
Through questioning and interrogation (elenchus), Socrates leads Meno and a slave boy through the
socratic process of doxa, aporia, and then anamnesis. Socrates explains, "Then if the truth about
reality is always in our soul, the soul would be immortal so that you should always confidently try to
seek out and recollect?" (86, b). Because of this recollection (anamnesis), Socrates concludes that
the soul is then immortal and is all in all, recollecting previous knowledge hidden deep within the
soul.
Unlike Socrates, I do not believe that that this kind of knowledge is recollected. I feel that Socrates'
example with the slave boy does not "prove" immortality of the soul but rather, strains to answer it.
Socrates elaborates that our souls are eternal because as humans, we are constantly seeking
knowledge about nearly everything and that we do not know that "everything". Seeking knowledge
gives our soul a purpose, but I believe that our soul was just born with the potential to learn that

The Meno Dialogue By Socrates
At the outset of the Meno dialogue, Meno asks Socrates, "[...] can virtue be taught? Or is it not
teachable but the result of practice, or is it neither of these, but men possess it by nature or in some
other way?" 70a. Meno is asking Socrates how one can acquire virtue, and these four questions offer
paths of investigation.
What are the paths and how are they dealt with? The first, can virtue be taught – this is the main
path taken up for investigation of virtue. Second – result of practice – it doesn't seem as though this
path is dealt with (one could ask why it is that this isn't taken up, could it have to do with Meno as
Socrates' foil?). Third – by nature – this path is rejected a few times, 89b, 98d, 99e. Fourth – some
other way – this open–ended option seems as though it might offer a solution at the end of the
dialogue (in the form of divinity). However, before Socrates enters into Meno's initial question,
there is a more important question that needs turning over. What is virtue? I have sequestered my
discussion on Socrates' investigation of what virtue is to an end note in order to stay under the word
limit, for the present purpose it is only important to say that Socrates and Meno can't find a clear
definition of virtue, but Meno pushes Socrates to investigate the aforementioned questions about the
acquisition of virtue regardless. Socrates does so despite the fact that the two don't know exactly or
clearly what virtue is.
We can now follow the paths – or

Meno Conversation: The Nature Of Virtue
In Socrates–Meno conversation, Meno asked Socrates the nature of virtue and is it something taught
or it is something innate to the men. Socrates couldn't answer his question claiming that he doesn't
know the definition of what virtue is. So, Meno defined what virtue is for Socrates, one of the
definition was that virtue is something to be learned and it is: "desire for good things", where he
explains that the man who manages the city or a woman who manages the house intend to be virtue.
This type of management as Meno was thinking is taught, which it's another definition of virtue that
Meno gave, but Socrates disagrees with Meno and delivers his thoughts as a series of question so
Meno gets to an understanding that virtue is not something

Discussion Of Virtue In Plato's Meno
During this week's intro to Plato's Meno and the idea of inputting a portion of the first few pages to
improve life I stumbled across an interesting topic. This was what I call differences in species and
matter or like Sacrates described it by asking, "... you think it is only in the case of virtue that there
is one for a man, another for a woman and so on." (2). There, we can see that he wants to make sure
that Meno knows that "virtue" is no different for man than for a female than for a child. Therefore,
this becomes the first anti–racial argument that was established. They talk about how bees have
different attributes, this being my state of matter, from one another, yet because they are all bees, the
same specie, we call them and categorize them as bees and nothing else. If that is the case, we are all
humans. Life can be better if we avoid an everyday pre–judgment state ... Show more content on
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Nevertheless, I went with my day with that in mind and it was surprisingly a good experience. I met
a couple of people that I would've judged immediately and provably never speak to them because
they seem homosexual; yet when I started talking to them I found out we are not that different. They
were incredibly funny and not to say real good people. If I wouldn't had talked to them like I did
with no pre–judgement I wouldn't have met this two incredible people. I have always avoided and
felt distanced to people that are homosexual; yet I had never given the opportunity to any of them to
actually know them and give a better judgment out of that. After seeing this result in only one day of
my life and seeing how people are not really what they seem all the time I can certainly say that for
a better life a non–pre–judgmental attitude towards the world is

Modern Values And Ethics In Socrates, Plato And Aristotle
In the world there have been various thinkers who have shaped the modern values and ethics that we
use in everyday life. In Philosophy we have the big three: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Plato was a
great ancient Greek philosopher who was a teacher of Aristotle and is best known for his impact as
the central figure of Western Philosophy. His main interests were in various categories: education,
and of course philosophy. Plato's dialogue Meno was one his most successful epistemology with
giving his viewpoint of virtue and innate knowledge. The full story which I read in high school has
4 core values, Defining virtue, Socrates innate knowledge proof, discussion of virtue being taught
and a discussion on why there can be no teachers of virtue found. The excerpt in Cottingham second
edition discusses two of the values in virtue and innate knowledge.
Virtue is having the attributes of being morally good/right. In the dialogue Meno begins with his
own definition of virtue as doing what is right with your role in life. For example Meno would agree
if you were an athlete and the virtue would be to perform to your highest ability in the sport. If were
talking bout in that time a warrior's virtue in Meno's eye would be being advanced and skillful in
combat of war. As Plato recorded the dialogue Socrates does not agree on Meno's first definition,
coming with a counter argument that the definition of virtue should be comparable to every person
not to individualize the meaning.

Plato 's Dialogue : The Meno
Plato's dialogue the Meno explores the question of whether virtue can be taught. This dialogue
provides no contextual setting like other early dialogues do, and instead it begins suddenly with
Meno putting forth the question of whether virtue is teachable. Unlike earlier dialogues that mostly
revolved around Socrates questioning and refuting an interlocutor who claimed to know something,
though the Meno does this to an extent in the beginning, Socrates attempts to offer a potential
positive solution to Meno's paradox; in this dialogue Socrates also introduces a new method of
inquiry that he calls hypothesis in an attempt to search for an answer to Meno's initial question. As
stated above the dialogue begins with Meno asking Socrates whether virtue can be taught, and if it is
not teachable he inquires as to how one comes to possess it. As in earlier dialogues Socrates initial
response to Meno's question is to claim that he has no knowledge at all of virtue, and therefore he
has no knowledge of the qualities it possesses–such as whether it is teachable or not. In addition to
this, Socrates claims that he has never encountered anyone who actually knew what virtue is. Meno
asserts that Gorgias, a sophist who he seems to revere, knows what virtue is. If this were the case
then Gorgias being a sophist, someone who supposedly teaches others, should be able to teach other
what virtue is. Following that, Meno–who has interacted with Gorgias should theoretically be able
to explain

Can virtue be taught? Essay
lthough today's society includes much technology and new things are supposedly being discovered
every day, many age old questions still remain unanswered; questions such as: "Can virtue be
taught?" This question is examined in detail throughout Plato's Meno, and although the play
leaves the question as to what virtue is unanswered, Socrates attempts an answer to Meno's question.
Although he is not particularly keen on answering whether virtue can be taught without first having
a complete understanding of what virtue is, he attempts to please Meno by solving this in the way
that geometers conduct their investigations, through a hypothesis. Socrates states that if indeed
virtue can be taught then one thing will happen, and if it ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In order to decide if virtue is knowledge, this example is given: the good are not so by nature, and
they therefore must have been taught to be so, and since virtue is something good, there is the
possibility that it can also be taught. The problem with this is the fact that the possibility remains
that people who are virtuous are so by nature, and if virtue was is in people naturally, there is no
need to teach it.
To further imply that virtue is not teachable, the conclusion is reached that if there are no teachers or
pupils of a topic, the subject can't be taught. Then, after an involved conversation with Anytus, it is
proved that virtue cannot be taught, and since it cannot be taught, it is later agreed that, in light of
this, virtue cannot be knowledge. As Socrates sees it, since virtue is not knowledge, it must be that
virtue is only present in those people who have acquired it from the gods.
In correspondence with Socrates' hypothesis, the virtue fits into it in this way: if virtue is knowledge
then it can be taught, but if it is not knowledge then it cannot be taught. It is then concluded that
virtue is not knowledge, so it cannot be taught. Since men are not virtuous by nature, the conclusion
is reached that people are virtuous only if they have received virtue as a gift from the gods. By using
this hypothesis, not only has Socrates answered Meno's original question, he has answered all

Meno Skeptics
The skeptic is unable to investigate or form any sort of conception of their dogmatic views.(III 31)
The above conclusion stems from two premises presented by the dogmatists in their argument
against the skeptics ability to inquire. Firstly, if the skpetic grasps what the dogmatist says, he
cannot be in doubt about what he has grasped. And secondly, if the skeptic doesn't grasp what the
dogmatist says, he will not even be able to talk about what he has grasped. The dogmatist claim we
are considering is a reformulation of meno's paradox because the premises and the conclusion are
similar to that of the paradox. Consequently, we will be examining the above claim by the
dogmatists and the response by Sextus Empiricus to the dogmatist claims in the frame of meno's
paradox. The dogmatists emphasize the importance of prior knowledge as a requirement for
inquiry.To the dogmatists, inquiry was a difficut process which had to come to an end with some
form of realization– something true or ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Continued inquiry implies that the process of inquiry seemingly never comes to an end.
Furthermore, continued inquiry is fundamentally based on opposing appearances and ideas, instead
of prior knowledge as in the case of the dogmatists. Sextus argues that it is the setting in opposition
of these appearances and ideas of equal force that forms the process of skeptic inquiry.
Consequently leading to a suspension of judgement. The suspension of judgement means that the
skeptic neither denies nor affirms an idea when it comes to inquiry. Such a stance leads to a
calmness of the soul or freedom from disturbance. There is a disturbance that arises from seeking
what is true or false according to the skeptics. For the skeptics it was easier to go for a consideration
pushed equally in both directions.(III 26 –

Analysis Of Meno By Socrates
We all have questions: what am I? What is a human being? What is the meaning of life? Where are
we going as a society? Sometimes we might wake up in a cold sweat at night and despair about ever
truly having the answers. We joke around with them. We brush them off. We do anything but face
them. We refuse to give them power over us. These are truly questions that need to be asked that we
have to confront because only with sound answers will we be able to go forward in our lives
meaningfully. Philosophy empowers us to ask the big questions, the questions that matter. It is a way
to not let the fear take over our lives, but to live without fear of the unknown. Even if these
questions seem too broad, too all– encompassing they can be broken down ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Public opinion is what friends and neighbors spout out to us. The things that appear to be true.
Lessons we absorb without even truly thinking it over. What the media pumps out at us every day.
We get it from all angles, without second–guessing it. But maybe it should be second–guessed.
Meno is the perfect example of what happens when we don't philosophize, or question. Meno goes
out and gives grand speeches about virtue, all accumulations of what other people have told him like
Gorgias, but doesn't truly understand the subject. When Socrates asks him to define virtue he can
give examples but not an actual definition. Finally, Meno is rendered silent, and he realizes that he
truly doesn't have an answer to give Socrates. He has never questioned himself or what he knows to
be true, but has only had a bunch of unsupported opinions from what other people have told him. He
comes across as uneducated, and ill–informed, because he has never gone out to investigate for
himself the true from the false. And he didn't even have true opinions on his side. Under philosophy,
all these various "sources" come under the scrutiny of reason. Philosophy gets us to be proactive
instead of simply reactive. We become the engines of our lives, instead of the cog in a wheel,
moving at the pace of everyone else's opinions or beliefs, we spur our own thinking. Is what
everyone else says about money, children, travel, or work really true? Philosophy engages us in
asking whether a long–held thought or belief is really logical on its own merit rather than simply
saying that it must be correct on the merit of the person or group that makes it look so, like Meno.
Instead of a compilation of false opinions that we pass of as ours, we truly have our own thoughts
that when they come under scrutiny, we can powerfully and confidently defend them as our

Meno Hidden Virtue Analysis
Hidden Virtues
As we already know from reading other works by Plato, Virtue is not a cut and clean object with a
distinct definition that is more correct than another definition. When Socrates asks, "what is
virtue?", Meno comes up with three definitions. However, none of his replies are true answers, but
rather define parts of what helps to create virtue. Meno's replies are scattered and he is unable to
give the reader a true definition of what virtue is. Meno fails to give a common factor in all
definitions of virtue, but rather gives the reader many different outlooks with nothing connecting
each example. In this paper, I will discuss the exchanges between Meno and Socrates and the
attempts made by Meno to describe virtue as well as Socrates' arguments against them.
As stated above, Meno comes up with three attempts at defining virtue. While reading it can be
assumed that virtue is not easily defined. A key element in creating a sound definition is knowing
the nature of an object. If the nature of said object is unknown, there cannot be judgement of any
quality of the object itself. Meno first attempts to describe virtue by giving examples of ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Based solely upon what is stated in the dialogue between Meno and Socrates, we see Meno
repeatedly try to define virtue unsuccessfully. He claims to know what virtue is but fails to define it
correctly. Socrates uses counterexample after counterexample to break down Meno's arguments and
proves that Meno lacks the knowledge of a true definition. I believe that Socrates does not do this to
dishearten Meno, but rather to have him reevaluate his knowledge of virtue. After analyzing the
story as a whole, I believe that even if virtue is known innately, there is no way to give a single
definition that allows us to truly teach the concept of

The Role Of Recollection In Plato's Meno
In Plato's Meno, Socrates states that the theory of recollection is that all the knowledge a person has
is known from previous experience. In simple terms, this means that instead of learning and
acquiring knowledge to answer a question or state a fact, they are simply just remembering
something that they already knew Socrates is presented as a philosophical pilot, asking questions in
order to prod the slave boy into recalling the information that he in return truly had no prior
connection with. "We do not learn, and that what we call learning is only a process of recollection"
(Hackett). The notion of true knowledge is said to be innate in that asking a series of the right
questions can recollect all knowledge. The theory of recollection suggests ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Meno is instructed by Socrates to look at the situation between the slave boy and Socrates to
determine whether the slave boy is learning or recalling the information from his soul. Socrates
starts questioning the slave boy on a square, even thought he boy has no geometric knowledge; but
guided by Socrates he is able to provide the right answer When asked the area the boy confidently
answers incorrectly Although his initial response was incorrect, guided by Socrates' questions the
boy was able to answer correctly Socrates suggests that one does not need to understand topics such
as geometry, but can still answer the questions correctly by someone asking the right questions.
Plato's Meno gives the idea that the slave boy, without anyone's help and only the questions asked of
him, he will understand, finding the knowledge from within, recollecting. This is proof that the slave
boy had no knowledge of mathematics or geometry prior to this happening. There was no way that
the boy could have gained this knowledge anytime in his life. This helps the theory of recollection
hold true and enhance the statement that the knowledge of the slave boy came from

Virtue In The Meno
In the Meno, Socrates finds the meaning of the word virtue in terms of human wisdom. This
definition pursues a further question which is "what makes the quest for wisdom possible?"
(Gallagher, Commentary on the Meno). In the beginning of the dialogue, Meno asks Socrates if
virtue can be taught. Socrates says that doesn't have a complete and comprehensive understanding of
virtue. This is an example of human wisdom, knowing that you don't know something.
Hannah Arendt is a very famous philosopher. She wrote a paper on Adolf Eichmann who was a
logistics specializer during the Holocaust. In short terms, he was in charge of the train schedule and
had to make sure that it was picking up people in the right places at the right times. In 1963,
Eichmann

Perplexity In The Meno
Pérez 1
Ana Pérez
Professor Sara Solorzano
Philosophy
16 December 2014
Plato's Ethics: An Overview
This document explores the meaning of human life, its purpose, what it serves for and also what
factors affect them and how. We analyze Plato's expressions and thoughts about what makes us
humans. From virtues to building a perfect city, Plato tries to explain in different occasions the
morality behind humans. He is focused on understanding the why and how can humans reach their
highest potential with the given resources such as nature and others.
Plato begins explaining the beginning. The search for knowledge, the understanding what are things
and what are their purposes. As argued in the Meno, perplexity is an intermediary stage towards
knowledge. As we know, with knowledge comes everything else. It is explained also that in order to
want to seek knowledge, one must possess virtues, like courage. Courage is the one to push you into
knowing something. These are the things that will drive someone into knowing the basis of
everything. For example a square, in order to do one or understand it one must know what are lines,
points, etc.
Next, begins a discussion on what justice and injustice are, a virtue or not, whether they make us
happy or not. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
We need to be amazed and interested in something if we want to learn about it. For example, is as if
a boy watches a soccer game for the first time. He is intrigued by the players' moves and tricks and
if he arrives at such point where he likes it, he would love to imitate them. Once he know the basics,
or so called definitions, everything else follows. I also agree that the next step is to have courage,
courage to pursue and do what you like. To me it is to lose the fear of the unknown, or challenge

Recollection In Meno
In Meno, Plato introduces the theory that knowledge comes by recollection. Through the character
of Socrates, he presents this idea, and his argument deserves some clarification and explanation.
Plato draws a sharp distinction between knowledge, which is certain, and mere opinion, which is not
certain. Opinions derive from the shifting world of sensation; knowledge derives from the world of
timeless forms, or essences. The Platonic doctrine of recollection is the idea that we are born
possessing all knowledge and our realisation of that knowledge is contingent on our discovery of it.
Whether the doctrine should be taken literally or not is a subject of continuous debate. The doctrine
implies that nothing is ever learned from scratch – rather, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
This is the idea that knowledge requires experiencing something for yourself. For example, Plato
thinks that in order to know the way to Larissa it is necessary to have travelled the route yourself.
Similarly, he thinks, in order to know a philosophical truth you must have worked through the issue
yourself, so that you can grasp how this truth connects with other things that you believe. This
notion implies that knowledge is not something that we can absorb, unthinkingly, from people
around us; from a certain point of view, it is not incorrect.
Furthermore, Socrates sees knowledge to be better than true opinion, because true opinion can
escape the mind and thus isn't worth much – at least until one ties it down by giving an account of
the reason why it matters or why it is true. Therefore, justified true belief is knowledge, because it
arises out of recollection. As such, it can be said that Plato believes that knowledge is prized more
than correct opinion, and that knowledge differs from correct opinion in being tied down.
As well as that, Meno proposes an idea that goodness could be taught if it was knowledge – as long
as there are teachers to do so. There are none – and therefore, virtue cannot be taught and it cannot
be knowledge – yet it is a good thing. In conclusion, the dispute between Meno and Socrates boils
down to the agreement that correct guidance is a result of knowledge and true belief, and is as such
both useful and

Argument On Virtue In Meno
Virtue In Plato's Meno, Socrates presents two different arguments in his attempt to define virtue.
One of his arguments is presented in 71e–73c, where Socrates argues that virtue has unity to it and
that simply giving examples of virtue will not tell us what virtue itself is. His second argument is
given in 87b–89c, where Socrates presents the idea that virtue must be a kind of knowledge that
makes other goods such as wealth, health or courage worthwhile. I believe that the stronger
argument here is that virtue must be a kind of knowledge, because without knowledge nothing is
beneficial or good in the world. Without knowledge one is more likely to make mistakes and put
themselves in bad situations. Without knowledge we cannot lead a good, ... Show more content on
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Socrates first argues that virtue has unity to it and then goes on to argue that virtue is knowledge. I
believe his second argument is in fact stronger because he presents a logical justification of how
virtue is knowledge. Through this argument it becomes obvious that without knowledge nothing is
beneficial or good in the world and thus virtue must be a kind of

'Meno And Socrates Socratic Paradox'
In Plato's work 'The Meno', a socratic dialogue attempting to define virtue, chapters 77b–79e outline
the Socratic Paradox, which focuses on the question of whether or not one can desire bad things.
Plato outlines this through a dialogue between his character Meno and Socrates. The Socratic
Paradox claims that no one desires bad things, i.e. no one desires things that are bad for them.
Socrates claimed that to possess bad things would leave someone miserable and unhappy. One that
desires bad things simply desires them because they think they are good. There are some
implications to this claim. If Plato is correct that we cannot knowingly do something that harms us,
or that we cannot do an action knowing that it will harm us in the long term, ... Show more content
Scott offers a modern example to support this. Suppose someone is on a certain kind of medication
that requires them to not drink alcohol otherwise the medication will not work and they will be in
great pain. They are completely aware of this and know that if they drink they will be 'miserable and
wretched'. Meno thinks it is quite possible for a person to want to drink regardless of this
knowledge. Socrates would be determined to argue that if you know something is bad overall you
cannot desire it. Although I see the conclusion Scott is trying to point to, I feel that his example is
fairly weak as one could interpret Socrates as saying that someone who is completely rational
cannot desire things that are bad for them. However I would claim that even this can be
counteracted: surely even the most intelligent and rational people can want to drink and smoke?
Therefore, I would claim that what Plato is trying to point out in the Meno is somewhat simplistic
and needs to be looked at

Defining Virtue In Plato's Meno
Plato's dialogue, titled 'Meno', began with Meno proposing a question to Socrates on whether virtue
is teachable, can be developed by practice, or something one is born with. Socrates, who is
somewhat humored by the question, wants to first know what the nature of virtue truly is. Meno
offers Socrates multiple examples of virtues based of roles, including the virtue of a man, a woman,
a child, an elder, and a slave. The virtue of a man would be to manage his public affairs, and bring
good on to himself and his friends and harm to his enemies. The virtue of a woman is to manage the
household and to be submissive to her husband (Meno, pg. 60–61). He goes on to say that there are
many other ways of defining virtue that is specific to the actions,

The, Virtue, By Socrates And Meno
In this paper, I try to discuss the sixth chapter in the book which focuses on the definition of virtue.
This passage mainly goes through dialogues between Socrates and Meno, who debated with each
other in order to make a certain definition of virtue. In the passage, Socrates gave his opinion of
virtue and tried to make Meno understand his ideas, while Meno held his opinion. In fact, virtue is
rather difficult to be defined. Even though both Socrates and Meno had contemplated what virtue, it
is still hard to give a definition of it. Also, trying to make a certain definition of virtue is also the
broad aim of the whole book–––Plato's Meno. This book was written by Plato, which is filled with
Socrates' dialogues. It aims to make sure the essence of virtue. From this portion in the book, I can
see that the aim of this passage could make a difference in helping reach the entire aim of the book.
In this paper, I prepared to explain the content of the passage as well as some important concepts.
What's more, I aim to mark out the difficult and important ideas, thoughts I have gained in the
process of reading. At the same time, I will also cite my personal experiences in order to support the
ideas in the passage.
At first, I will talk about the contents of this passage. This passage is concerning what virtue is. The
argument is whether virtue could be learned by or gift by God. Socrates believed that virtue was gift
by God and it was hard to cite a universal definition of virtue.

The Text Of The Meno By Plato

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The Text Of The Meno By Plato