Socrates Vs Meno

Per Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, virtue is defined as, “conformity to a standard of right; a particular moral excellence; right action and thinking.” In the modern era, one would assume that virtue can be defined as easily as one finds a definition on the internet. It is important to note, however, that Socrates’ life was based on finding a concrete definition for this term, but — from the lack of previous philosophies — this construct was yet to be defined properly. Nonetheless, in Plato’s Meno, Socrates seeks to answer the ubiquitous question that was unconventional for the time: can virtue be taught? This question, thousands of years later, continues to be debated in one form or another. Whether it is discussed as nature versus nurture — innate or through experience respectively — or through

First, virtue is innate within the human soul. The second insinuates that virtue can be taught, but the third prospect delineates that virtue comes as a gift from the gods. If virtue was innate and not gained via experience, the virtue would be evident within the individual, but only those that can wield it would be defined as virtuous. Socrates proposes this concept by creating a demonstration with a slave of Meno. After assuring that the boy did not comprehend mathematics, Socrates began a series of geometric questions surrounding the properties of a square. What was interesting about his inquiries to the boy was that Socrates never delineated an answer; rather, he provided resources as he asked the questions to guide the boy’s "recollection" of his inborn knowledge. In modern day psychology, Socrates would align most with the ‘nature’ perspective, where knowledge and virtue come from within. However, one can also argue that what Socrates did was teach the boy through experiences how to divide the squares, similar to the ‘nurture’ methodological