Plato: Meno - Can Virtue Be Taught

The question of whether virtue can be taught may be answered through philosophical means, much like those illustrated by Socrates in Plato: Meno. Because virtue, in our minds, is something that benefits the soul, and knowledge is that which leads its beholder toward positive outcomes, we can draw the conclusion that virtue is knowledge. If virtue can in fact be classified as knowledge, and all knowledge can be taught, then we must conclude that virtue can in turn be taught. However, in saying that virtue can be taught another question arises of who and where the teachers are. If there are truly no teachers of virtue then we must conclude that our previous hypothesis was wrong and that virtue cannot be taught by those in the mortal world.
Yet another part to the question of whether virtue can be taught is introduced when we distinguish between popular virtue and true virtue. Popular virtue is that which is classified as true opinion, where as true virtue is classified as knowledge. When we look at true opinion, or popular virtue, we see that it can be taught or passed along from one person to another. This is possible because opinion can be formed easily due to the disregard for the need of absolute truth. Once true opinion is solidified by truth however, which can only be done through the recollection of the forms, it becomes knowledge rather than opinion. This shows that popular virtue can be taught, but when looking for true virtue we can only come upon it through recollection.
When we conclude that knowledge is recollected through the forms rather than taught, we must understand what this recollection of past knowledge means in the way of the possible immortality of the soul. This theory of recollection is supported by the argument that prior to birth the soul exists in an alternate world where it acquires knowledge of the forms. At birth however, this knowledge of the forms that the soul carries is lost. We can then understand that

all knowledge