Meno: Can Virtue Be Taught? Socrates Weighs In - Essay Sample

Introduction

Meno is Plato's dialogue consisting of two primary speakers. Meno and Socrates talk about human virtue: what it is and whether it can be taught or not. This debate also had additional participants such as the prosecutor of Socrate, Anytus and Athenian one of Meno's slave (Rowe 122). Meno is a prominent sophist and a student of Gorgias who had a different definition of virtue. In this argument, Socrate's discussion concludes that virtue is teachable only if there is knowledge.

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The dialogue started when Socrates was asked whether virtue can be taught. Socrates answered Meno that he is not sure because he does not even know the meaning of merit and has not met anyone that knew the meaning. When Meno heard this, he invited Socrates so that he could be told the definition of a virtue. However, Socrate uses one of Meno's slaves to elaborate more about anamnesis and how knowledge is recollected and innate by the soul.

The Virtue of Knowledge (87d-89a)

Socrates starts by laying the hypotheses that virtue is good. He argued that since good things have benefits, then the attribute is also beneficial. Socrates goes ahead and starts defining characteristics that are considered helpful and mentions things such as wealth, beauty, strength and health (Rowe 129). Even though these things are beneficial to man, Socrates adds that they are useful when used correctly.

Also, Socrates talks about the qualities of the soul such as magnificence, mental agility, temperance, justice and courage. In courage, for instance, it does not require knowledge but leads to a sort of daring that can result in harm or right depending on whether someone used it wisely. In other words, when the qualities of knowledge come from knowledge, then it ends up in happiness but leads to sadness when led by ignorance (Rowe 134). In short, both are neither harmful nor beneficial.

Virtue is a Greek word translated as arete or excellence that is linked to the idea of something fulfilling a function or a purpose. In other words, the arete of a sword are the qualities that create an excellent weapon such as balance, sharpness and strength (Rowe 138). The arete of a horse would mean that it is obedient, has stamina and speed. Even though Socrates elaborated more on the meaning of arete, the answer given by Meno was more understandable. However, Socrates rejected Meno's points that virtue carries several things that have things in common. According to Socrates, a good definition of morality should identify the universal essence or core.

Aspects of Meno and Euthyphro

Meno and Euthyphro are the same in many ways because both were used in the dialogues of Plato. However, both have differences when it comes to explanations. For instance, Meno is different because he appears more handsome than Euthphyro. This difference has resulted in the argument that Euthyphro is smarter than Meno. From time to time, Socrates elaborated more about Euthyphro by comparing his opinions to the enquiries of Meno.

This is because Meno's explanations reveal the basis of the Socrates method and manner under Euthyphro' discussion. The reason why these collections were made was that people's souls learn knew a lot of things before they became part of human life (Rowe 141). Most souls learn things in the universe forms. In other words, Socrates was trying to find the definitions of the virtue in the Meno and the Euthyphro to see the character called righteousness and holiness.

Since most people have learnt about things that make them holy, then most characters are derived from holiness. The characteristics of holiness come from virtues, and this gives people the knowledge that never changes. In other words, one can think that experience is something that is not available at all times. In today's world, anyone that can define an odd number could also deny the fact that emotional/metaphysical concepts have definitions. That is why Plato built the fortress that fights against such attacks. This is because of the idea of everything akin in the world and that no one can separate between the knowledge of metaphysical/physical, invisible/visible etc. (Rowe 148). In other words, Plato claims that people are hungry for knowledge. For now, it can be accepted that the validity of defining experience appears under the concept of Euthyphro.

Meno's paradox talks about the acquisition of 'priori knowledge' that is gained through reasoning and not through empirical investigations. Based on this statement, Plato encourages everyone through his experience as a slave that was ignorant of geometry but followed the steps of simple geometrical evidence. In today's world, the paradox has challenged many, particularly on the philosophical analysis (Rowe 154). One challenge was that how a person can give a rational analysis of a concept that does not make sense. The solution to this is that everyone is aware of knowledge and has free will to know. The problem is that paradox has the assumption that every notion is correct. This rules out the concept that no one has a free will because none can define the personal identity of another one even if have enough knowledge. In other words, Plato saw that ideas are implicit because people need to help one another to recollect the experience processed by souls.

Works Cited

Rowe, Christopher. "'Examining Myself and Others', I: Knowledge and Soul InCharmides, First Alcibiades, Meno, Republic, Euthyphro, Phaedrus." Plato and the Art of Philosophical Writing, vol. 2, no. 2, 2016, pp. 122-182., doi:10.1017/cbo9780511482625.006.