Meno Essay

In this writing, Meno asks Socrates if virtue can be taught or is virtue the result of practice or does virtue come about in another way (70a). Meno believes that virtue is different for different actions performed and it also differs in terms of the age of the individual (72a). Socrates responds by telling me no that he does not know what qualities virtue possesses and he is ignorant to it (71b). However, virtue should take on the same form (72c), rather than being different for different actions

In Plato’s Meno, there are many arguments Socrates and Meno encounter. They never seem to find a common ground and that leads to disagreements. The disagreements seem to never become an agreement because not only does Socrates makes it so difficult to give a definition of a word that he thinks is suitable but Meno is just letting him change his mind about his definition. The argument does not just consist on if knowledge an opinion can be taught, they argue that knowledge can be the only way to find

The dialogue opens up with Meno asking what virtue is and whether it could be taught. Socrates asks Meno for a general definition of virtue, since as Socrates points out, we cannot figure out if virtue can be taught if we do not have a clear idea what it is. Socrates is looking for a general, or formal definition of virtue, not just examples or instances of it. Socrates wants to know what all the examples of virtue have in common. He wants to know the essence of virtue. Meno initially offers a list

one of Plato’s earliest recorded writings, Meno. In the dialogue, Meno with the help of Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher whose ethical knowledge challenged conventional mores, try to define virtue. Meno himself is seemingly a man who is greedy for wealth, greedy for power, ambitious, and a back-stabber tries to play everything to his own advantage. In this essay, we will first look at Meno’s conversation with Socrates, second we will study whether Meno actually learned anything in the course of

In Plato's "Meno," both Meno and Socrates play significant roles in exploring the nature of knowledge and virtue. Their characters and perspectives on knowledge are distinctly contrasted, reflecting different philosophical viewpoints. Meno, a young nobleman and politician, represents the conventional wisdom and beliefs of his time. He approaches Socrates seeking knowledge about virtue, but he already believes he knows what virtue is. Meno's character is characterized by his confidence in his own

Socrates and Meno, who debated with each other in order to make a certain definition of virtue. In the passage, Socrates gave his opinion of virtue and tried to make Meno understand his ideas, while Meno held his opinion. In fact, virtue is rather difficult to be defined. Even though both Socrates and Meno had contemplated what virtue, it is still hard to give a definition of it. Also, trying to make a certain definition of virtue is also the broad aim of the whole book---Plato’s Meno. This book was

Socrates is known as one of the most prestigious philosophers to ever be alive. In his writing Meno, he tries to figure out or show what knowledge and virtue truly are. Throughout Meno, Socrates uses the argument that knowledge and virtue either are used for good or for evil. The majority of men are good and honorable which always strives for good, but there are some men that want evil and strive for folly. In his argument, Socrates explains that knowledge is something more than just true opinion

"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

At the outset of the Meno dialogue, Meno asks Socrates, “[…] can virtue be taught? Or is it not teachable but the result of practice, or is it neither of these, but men possess it by nature or in some other way?” 70a. Meno is asking Socrates how one can acquire virtue, and these four questions offer paths of investigation. What are the paths and how are they dealt with? The first, can virtue be taught – this is the main path taken up for investigation of virtue. Second – result of practice – it doesn’t

given by Plato. In Plato’s Meno, Socrates and Meno attempt to answer the question, ‘What is virtue?’ Through this discussion, Meno is lead to question whether they are even able to arrive at an answer, presenting us with the paradox of inquiry, ‘And how will you enquire, Socrates, into that which you do not know? What will you put forth as a subject of enquiry? And if you find what you want, how will you ever know that this is the thing which you did not know?’ (Meno 80d). Meno’s paradox states