explained in two specific dialogues The Meno and The Republic. In the Meno, Plato justifies the possibility for one's mind to uncover knowledge. Plato presents a valid theory on how our minds can obtain knowledge. Socrates asks “What is virtue?” , when questioning Meno on the single definition of virtue, Socrates was never satisfied. He never accepted Meno’s answers because Meno gave “virtuous” definitions, not the definition of “virtue.” For example, Meno claimed, “A man's virtue, consists of being
Plato Meno In Plato’s dialogue Socrates discusses ways in which virtue can be acquired with Meno. Three possibilities are confronted, first that virtue is innate within the human soul. The second suggests that virtue can be taught, and the third possibility is that virtue is a gift from the gods. These ways are debated by Socrates and Meno to a very broad conclusion. Socrates poses the question that virtue may be innate within the human soul. This is to say that all people would have virtue
is that which alone of existing things always follows color." "A shape is that which limits a solid; in a word, a shape is the limit of a solid." In the play Meno, written by Plato, there is a point in which Meno asks that Socrates give a definition of shape. In the end of it, Socrates is forced to give two separate definitions, for Meno considers the first to be foolish. As the two definitions are read and compared, one is forced to wonder which, if either of the two, is true, and if neither of
Is Meno a pompous jerk or is he actually willing to learn? That is the question on my mind at the start of Plato’s dialogue Meno. The truth of it, as it seems, appears to be both. In the dialogue, Meno could be described as rude and abrasive but then later described as inquisitive--searching himself for an answer or answers to the biggest question of his time. Socrates tries his best with his art of conversational thinking and inquiry to push Meno in the direction of self learning. He, in my opinion
Recollection in Plato's Phaedo and Meno As the earliest philosopher from whom we have written texts, Plato is often misrepresented as merely reproducing Socratic rhetoric. In Meno, one of the first Platonic dialogues, Plato offers his own unique philosophical theory, infused with his mentor's brilliant sophistry. Amidst discussing whether or not virtue can be taught, Meno poses a difficult paradox: How can one be virtuous, or seek virtue, when one cannot know what it is? "How will you aim
The Republic: Protagoras, Gorgias, and Meno One vigorous line of thought in contemporary moral philosophy, which I shall call ‘Neo-Aristotelianism,’ centers on three things: (1) a rejection of traditional enlightenment moral theories like Kantianism and utilitarianism; (2) a claim that another look at the ethical concerns and projects of ancient Greek thought might help us past the impasse into which enlightenment moral theories have left us; (3) more particularly, an attempt to reinterpret Aristotle’s
to pin down specifically what it is they mean. Realizing this, Socrates often went out and attempted to fix these kinds of problems and find out what people actually knew, compared to what they just thought they knew. In the dialogues Euthyphro and Meno, Socrates attempts to pin down definitions for piety and virtue, respectively. In doing so, we are shown that the thinkers in question struggle to define these terms, and attempt to do so in vague terms that may vary heavily under different circumstances
the different views of Locke and Plato. The main focus of the paper will be to deal with both sides of the view on innate ideas and determine which is plausible. I will be looking particularly at Plato's treatment of the concepts in the Meno and Locke's treatment in certain parts of the essay on human understanding. It is very hard to determine what if anything the mind possesses. It could possess everything we will ever know, as Plato seems to think, or the mind could
In the Meno, Plato justifies the possibility for one’s mind to uncover knowledge. Knowing one can obtain knowledge motivates the mind to gain more knowledge. Plato explains the theory of recollection by first questioning what virtue is, then demonstrating the process through the questioning of a slave boy. Although a few weaknesses present themselves in Plato’s argument, Plato presents a valid theory on how our minds can obtain knowledge. This paper focuses on exploring Plato’s theory of recollection
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
would Aristotle locate the mistake in Plato’s argument in The Phaedo? In his dialogues The Phaedo and Meno, Plato, through the form of Socrates, puts forth the idea that all learning is recollection. In The Phaedo, to prove that the soul is immortal, Socrates asserts the view that all learning is recollection and we simply need to be reminded of facts that our immortal souls are aware of. In Meno, Socrates attempts to show the truth of this belief by doing complex geometry with a nearby slave boy
potentially everything can be derived from that one truth. The fundamental ideas that Socrates seeks to uncover are called forms. This concept is illustrated when Socrates questions Meno on what virtue is. Meno answer with several examples of what is virtuous. This of course is not what Socrates is asking; he is asking Meno what all virtuous acts share in common. For Socrates this relationship between all virtuous acts is what virtue fundamentally is. A person can see virtuous acts but cannot see virtue
given up on certainty, he would have had ample reason to retain the theory. Nevertheless, some of his most perplexing epistemological pronouncements would have been left entirely unmotivated. For example, the doctrine of Recollection espoused in the Meno rests on the claim that the only possible explanation for geometrical knowledge, given its apparent innateness and certainty, is that everyone was in contact with the forms before they were born. No certainty, no problem, or at least a different problem
"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
What is Meno’s Paradox? First, who is Meno? The Meno is one of the earlier Platonic writings, which include Socrates and which look to try to define an ethic, in this case virtue. Meno himself is seemingly a man who is greedy for wealth, greedy for power, ambitious, and a back-stabber who tries to play everything to his own advantage. Meno starts by questioning Socrates. Can virtue be taught? Socrates says to Meno, well, what makes a virtue a virtue. Meno comes to the borrowed point that virtue
Meno Argument The Meno argument written by Plato was intended to point out the flaw of our knowledge. Meno is able to shine a light on the fact that we do not know how to obtain knowledge or know the validity of information we use. Plato’s dialogue begins by having Meno request a definition of virtue or at least an established commonality between different virtues to Aristotle. The reason for wanting a definition of virtue is to be able to support a concept of foundational knowledge. If a truthful
In Plato’s Meno, Socrates purposefully uses ignorance and irony to insufficiently define excellence for Meno. Initially, Meno argues a particular definition, which is a universally inconsistent proof, is sufficient to define excellence. However, Socrates asserts that the definition of excellence must be consistent and applicable to all individuals, by comparing individuals in a society to bees in a colony. Socrates demonstrates the failure of a particular proof to define all constituents of a group
Meno starts with Meno’s question about if virtue can be taught. It is the main theme of the entire dialogue. They both try to answer that question, but at the end it does not seem they both find the exact answer. But, at least they know what they do not know. The conversation between Meno and Socrates is to know what exactly the virtue means and if it can be taught to other people. Meno thinks he know what virtue is in the beginning of the dialogue, but when Socrates starts asking questions to him
Meno was one of Plato’s earliest of dialogues, written in depth the book is founded around a central question: If virtue can be taught, then how? And if not, then how does virtue come to man, either by nature or some other way? Socrates addresses this inquiry by questioning a person who claims to understand the term’s meaning (Plato's Meno). The purpose of this essay is to relate the Socratic method performed by Socrates in Plato’s dialogue The Apology, to Meno, by illustrating its effect on the
The Meno is a dialogue between Meno and Socrates written by the philosopher Plato. In the beginning of Meno, Meno puts up the question to Socrates of what is virtue and can it come from teaching,practicing, or by nature. Socrates replies back that he himself does not know what virtue is. Socrates also suggests that there are many different forms of virtues but they all must have something in common that makes it considered a virtue. The Socratic method in which Socrates uses during the conversation