Socrates Meno Analysis

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Meno asks Socrates/Plato the simple question of whether virtue can be taught. Socrates/Plato makes an effort towards answering this question by using his dialectic, the Socratic elenchus. However, his main goal is not to answer the question, but to share his thoughts about the status of the soul. Socrates/Plato cared about the “care of the soul” (pg.6) and was a dualist who believed in two realities. One reality is higher than the other. The higher reality includes Metaphysics and Epistemology. Also according to Socrates/Plato the Soul is made of three parts, Reason, spirit, and appetite. Reason is in the higher reality, spirit is in the middle of both, and appetite is in the lower reality. The status of one’s soul determines one’s ability …show more content…

He relates virtue to a swarm of bees. There is a difference between different kinds of bees, like honey bees and bumblebees, and the “definition of what it means for any of these things to be a bee” (pg.12). This relates to the difference between different kinds of virtue and what it actually means to be a virtue. There is a major opposition between the two but Meno has less developed understanding and is incompetent of understanding. He needs to see beyond the superficial elements of …show more content…

He is stuck in his character as an erotic man and does not understand the concept of virtue. His overemphasis on power and desire keep him from understanding virtue like Socrates does. However, the slave that he owns does realize the full concept. His soul moves up when he is presented with a geometry problem and he is able to comprehend it. The Pythagorean Theory, which uses squares, helps him to see the full concept of virtue.The theory is equal to pure ideas that are in the Metaphysical level. Meno does not understand this level like he

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