THE MENO Essay Research Paper The Meno

THE MENO Essay, Research Paper

The Meno asks the question .what is virtue and can it be taught... Meno.s conversation with Socrates is an

attempt to know exactly what virtue means and how it can be defined to come to the decision of whether or not it

can in fact be taught to others. But as Meno finds, contrary to his original perceptions as an ethical relativist, he

does not know what virtue is, and in his new state of ethical absolutism, cannot therefore teach Socrates what

virtue is, for how can one teach what one does not know. It becomes the conclusion amongst the two, that virtue is

a divine gift to those who are virtuous, and cannot be taught as it is not knowledge and it cannot be said that there

are teachers of it. However, Socrates, through his refutations of Meno.s questions and arguments, does not justify

his conclusion that it cannot be taught.

Several logical fallacies are present within the argument put forth by Socrates. And as Meno states, he

has a numbing effect on those around him, such that they might not even notice his failings until a later

examination.

After exhausting all definitions he has for what virtue is, all of them being countered by Socrates and

determined to be inadequate definitions, one of the problem.s Meno then has with understanding what virtue is

comes from this paradox: How can you try to find out something, when you have no notion at all about what it is.

However, the problem Meno has here is not clearly stated. Does he suggest that you either know what you.re

looking for, and therefore do not need to inquire into it, or you don.t know what you.re looking for, and therefore

cannot inquire into it, because you don.t know it. This leads to the question of whether what you know is either

the question you want to ask, or the answer to that question. One obviously cannot both know and not know the

same thing. However, one can know the question but not the answer. Therefore, you can inquire into something

you do not know of, if you know the question you wish to ask. And from this question, you would follow whatever

steps are necessary to get the answer, and end up knowing which you did not previously know. However, Socrates

puts forth a different perspective here, by attempting to demonstrate his Recollection Theory. This theory purports

that inquiry can be impossible in some instances, but what is seen to be learning is in fact the recollection of

something previously known.

Though Socrates puts forth an admirable effort to support his recollection theory, there is a flaw in his

argument. He uses a slave boy to exemplify how the theory works. He sets forth the geometrical problem to the

slave boy simply enough; however, with each wrong answer from the boy, he proceeds to lead him closer to the

correct conclusion. The boy makes guesses, that Socrates dismisses in small conversation bits with Meno to one

side. Right away, this would suggest that he is, in fact, teaching the boy something, whether he will admit to it or

not. When the boy suggests the length of the lines be doubled to four to make a square of eight, Socrates

immediately speaks with Meno and asks if he is correct , to which Meno replies that the boy is wrong in his

assumption. Socrates draws this new square and specifically asks .Is four times the old one double.. to which the

boy replies no, it is four times. This information was given to him by Socrates. After the boy unsuccessfully tries

to determine the answer to Socrates. puzzle again by saying that the line should now be three, Socrates gives the

boy the answer by drawing lines bm, mi, ig, gb (top of page forty-nine) and asking him if that is not the answer, to

which the boy replies in the affirmative. It is almost puzzling as to why Meno agrees with Socrates that the boy

simply answered the question on his own, when he so obviously did not. It could be speculated that given the

stature of Socrates at the time, Meno simply couldn.t bring himself to disagree, or was so sure of Socrates. wisdom,

that he accepted his example as truth. Had it not been for the help of Socrates, the boy might never have known

the answer. As well, there is the possibility that, in this situation, the act of reasoning could take place. Whereby

the slave boy could have simply deduced the correct answer, having seen the consequences of his previous answers.

This counters the recollection theory as it provides the individual with new knowledge that is based around old, but

not recalled from some distant past memory.

Given that the answer was provided by Socrates, it does not lend any credence to his theory of

recollection. As such, it could not be said that virtue is an unteachable thing, at least not by this example, for he

has not proven that all knowledge is merely recollection. As well, there are a good number of alternate instances

when such an argument cannot be made. Aside from instances where one might reason a new answer, such can be

said for empirical knowledge, with a question like .how

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