Meno's Dialogue
Kavin Tjhan
Philosophy
Johnston
I have always been fascinated at the idea of the saying: “if at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” Learning to me has always been upon the idea of problem solving, that we must attempt to figure out the truth while stumbling upon questions and false answers. In Meno’s dialogue with Socrates, Meno attempts to ask Socrates if virtue can be acquired. Expecting a bold and grand statement as heard upon by his sophist peers from Thessaly, Meno was amazed to hear that Socrates had no clue to his question, even going further by stating that Socrates hasn’t met anyone who knows what virtue is. While in their quest to find out if virtue can be acquired by teaching, they struggle through the logic behind it. Meno points out by defining virtue as a list: “there will be no difficulty, Socrates, in answering your question. Let us take first the virtue of a man-he should know how to administer the state, and in the administration of it to benefit his friends and harm his enemies. A woman’s virtue, if you wish to know about that, may also be easily described her duty is to order her house, and keep what is indoors, and obey her husband. Every age, every condition of life, young or old, male or female, bond or free, has a different virtue: there are virtues numberless, and no lack of definitions of them; for virtue is relative to the actions and ages of each of us in all that we do”. But Socrates manages to debunk this error with his example of Meno’s list of virtues being like a swarm of bees. A second attempt by Meno makes the same mistake as the first, as Meno manages to say that health is a virtue: “I should say that health is the same, both in man and woman.” A third attempt at defining what virtue also comes up empty handed. After coming up with no luck, Meno states that he feels numb and confused, and this is known in the story as paradox of inquiry. The paradox states that learning isn’t possible, because you either
Philosophy
Johnston
I have always been fascinated at the idea of the saying: “if at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” Learning to me has always been upon the idea of problem solving, that we must attempt to figure out the truth while stumbling upon questions and false answers. In Meno’s dialogue with Socrates, Meno attempts to ask Socrates if virtue can be acquired. Expecting a bold and grand statement as heard upon by his sophist peers from Thessaly, Meno was amazed to hear that Socrates had no clue to his question, even going further by stating that Socrates hasn’t met anyone who knows what virtue is. While in their quest to find out if virtue can be acquired by teaching, they struggle through the logic behind it. Meno points out by defining virtue as a list: “there will be no difficulty, Socrates, in answering your question. Let us take first the virtue of a man-he should know how to administer the state, and in the administration of it to benefit his friends and harm his enemies. A woman’s virtue, if you wish to know about that, may also be easily described her duty is to order her house, and keep what is indoors, and obey her husband. Every age, every condition of life, young or old, male or female, bond or free, has a different virtue: there are virtues numberless, and no lack of definitions of them; for virtue is relative to the actions and ages of each of us in all that we do”. But Socrates manages to debunk this error with his example of Meno’s list of virtues being like a swarm of bees. A second attempt by Meno makes the same mistake as the first, as Meno manages to say that health is a virtue: “I should say that health is the same, both in man and woman.” A third attempt at defining what virtue also comes up empty handed. After coming up with no luck, Meno states that he feels numb and confused, and this is known in the story as paradox of inquiry. The paradox states that learning isn’t possible, because you either