An Objection to Inquiry
The argument known as “Meno's Paradox” can be reformulated as follows:
If you know what you're looking for, inquiry is unnecessary
. If you don't know what you're looking for, inquiry is impossible. Therefore, inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible.
What is the Meno paradox?
An Objection to Inquiry
The argument known as “Meno's Paradox” can be reformulated as follows:
If you know what you're looking for, inquiry is unnecessary
. If you don't know what you're looking for, inquiry is impossible. Therefore, inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible.
What is Socrates trying to teach Meno?
Socrates tries leading Meno to
desire real knowledge of what virtue is
rather than just collecting others' opinions about how it is acquired, and tries to get him to practice active inquiry and discovery of the truth for himself, starting from his own basic and sincere beliefs about virtue.
What kind of question is Meno asking to Socrates?
Summary. The Meno is probably one of Plato's earliest dialogues, with the conversation dateable to about 402 BCE. The dialogue begins with Meno asking Socrates
whether virtue can be taught
, and this question (along with the more fundamental question of what virtue is) occupies the two men for the entirety of the text.
Is Meno a real person?
Meno (/ˈmiːnoʊ/; Greek: Mένων, Menōn; c. 423 – c. 400 BC), son of Alexidemus, was an ancient Thessalian political figure.
What did Socrates find wrong with Meno?
The topic of discussion is how to obtain virtue. … Socrates then claims that he does not know what virtue is or how it is obtained (71b). Meno is confused by his answer and claims that
Gorgias has taught him virtue
. Socrates rebukes him and repeats that he cannot learn what virtue is.
Why does Meno compare Socrates to a stingray?
Terms in this set (15) On pages 36-37, Meno compares Socrates to a flatfish (i.e. a stingray). …
Socrates is trying to find out something he knows nothing
about… Like he is laying our a thing that he doesn't know and then tries to find it.
What does Socrates say about virtue in Meno?
Socrates remarks that Meno makes many out of one, like somebody who breaks a plate. Meno proposes that
virtue is the desire for good things and the power to get them
. Socrates points out that this raises a second problem—many people do not recognize evil.
How does Meno first define virtue to Socrates?
Meno first attempts to define virtue
by specifying its different types–that of a man, a wife, and so on
. Socrates replies that merely specifying these different types does not tell us what virtue itself is. … To illustrate the kind of definition he is seeking, Socrates discusses the analogies of shape and color.
Does virtue mean virginity?
conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.
chastity
; virginity: to lose one's virtue. a particular moral excellence. … a good or admirable quality or property: the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.
What does Meno say that excellence is initially?
According to Meno, excellence is based
“on our walk of life and our age
” (Meno, pg… …e process, Socrates illustrated the fallacy in particular proofs. Socrates deliberately determines excellence is unlike knowledge. This failure furthers Socrates' argument that a consistent proof must be used correctly.
Is Meno a sophist?
Meno, a prominent Thessalian who is visiting Athens, is a member of this class. … This is not quite a fair fight, of course, since Plato can put whatever words he wants in Meno's mouth, and because
Meno is not himself an accomplished Sophist
(like Gorgias, who is the central figure in a much lengthier Platonic dialogue).
What is the overall topic of the Meno?
The theme of the Meno is
the investigation of virtue with regard to both its essence
and our possibility of acquiring it, whether we acquire virtue by nature, teaching, practice, or in some other way.
What famous sophist taught Meno?
Socrates
.
Plato
was Socrates' pupil, and most of his best-known work is devoted to recounting the philosophy of his master.
Can virtue be taught Meno?
Meno, remembering the two hypotheses proposed by Socrates, happily concludes that, since
virtue is knowledge, people must learn it by being taught
. Socrates, however, is less sure. … If this is truly the case, it would indicate that virtue in fact cannot be taught.
What is the analogy of the bees supposed to show Meno?
Meno first suggests that different kinds of virtue exist for different kinds of people. Socrates replies that Meno's definition is like
a swarm of bees
: each kind of virtue, like each bee, is different, but Socrates is interested in that quality they all share.
What metaphor does Meno use to describe Socrates ability to perplex others?
Socrates points this error out with a metaphor about Meno's “
swarm” of virtues being like a swarm of bees
. The bees differ in size and shape, but “do not differ from one and other in being bees.” In other words, Socrates is after the definitive characteristics of virtue in general, the “form” (eidos) of virtue.
What are the two parts to the third and final answer that Meno gives to the question what is virtue?
Meno's third definition has two parts –
(1) the desire for beautiful things and (2) having the power to acquire them
. Socrates uncovers a logical inconsistency to convince Meno that the desire for good things is universal to all humans; this argument is analyzed in section 6.
Who is Anytus in Meno?
Anytus is
Meno's guest when he comes to Athens
, and is even present for part of Meno's discussion with Socrates about the nature of virtue. At one point, Socrates calls Anytus forth and asks him if he can identify a person who teaches virtue.
Why does Meno liken Socrates to a torpedo fish?
In this passage, Meno likens Socrates to a torpedo fish,
a likeness with respect both to appearance (i.e. Socrates' famous snub nose)
and to his numbing effect on those who come into contact with him. … Socratic questioning, unlike the shock of the torpedo fish, is not a means of evasion.
What theory of learning does Socrates offer in answer to Meno problem about searching for something unknown?
Socrates'
doctrine of recollection
says that knowledge is already there. So, since, when we are inquiring, we are not searching for something, but instead trying to remember something, the paradox is not a problem.
How does Socrates distinguish between opinion and knowledge in the Meno?
To answer this, Socrates tells
Meno that true opinion becomes knowledge through thought and recollection of what is true
. Thus, true opinion is an unjustified belief while knowledge is a justified belief. … In other words, true opinion becomes knowledge when one justifies it.
What is the central theme in the Meno dialogue?
Virtue, Ignorance, and Knowledge
Virtue
is the central concern of Socrates's dialogue with Meno, as each man struggles to find productive ways to talk about this elusive concept.
What important distinction did Socrates discuss at the very end of the Meno?
Socrates' answer gives the metaphor of a man who possesses a valuable sculpture by Daedalus. … Socrates and Meno now face a final problem:
they have concluded both that virtue cannot be taught and that it is not innate
(both parties agree that neither knowledge nor true opinion can be innate).
What does Meno mean?
Meno- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning
“month
.” It is often used in medical terms, specifically in references to menstruation. Meno- comes from the Greek mḗn, meaning “month.” It's distantly related to the English word moon, itself related to the word month.
What else is being miserable ask Socrates?
“What else is being miserable,” asks Socrates…
…”than not to know
the truth
?” …”than to seek virtue and fail to find it?” …”than to desire bad things and secure them?” …”than to be a sophist?”
What makes a man virtuous?
Virtue is defined as “the quality of moral excellence, righteousness, and responsibility” (Pg. 73) While studying what makes a virtuous person their character rather than actions are studied.
Honesty, courage, moderation, compassion, wisdom and loyalty
are a few examples of the characteristics of a virtuous person.
What does ethically fraught mean?
Fraught. (of a situation or course of action)
filled with or likely to result in
(something undesirable) “Ethically fraught” So when the Schaffer says climbing Everest is “ethically fraught,” he means that thrill seekers have to balance their desire to climb against the position they put the Sherpas in.
Who are the characters in Meno?
- Socrates. A philosopher living in Athens, Greece in the fourth century BC and the primary speaker in Meno. …
- Meno. A good-looking young man who belongs to a prominent family in Thessaly. …
- Meno's Slave. A young man who serves as Meno's slave and who has spent his entire life with Meno's family. …
- Anytus. …
- Gorgias.
What is Plato's virtue?
According to Plato, there are four such cardinal virtues. These are
wisdom, courage, temperance and justice
. In fact, Plato considers the former three as basic cardinal virtues whereas the last one i. e. Justice as tertiary virtue. Plato's theory of virtue is based on his metaphysical conception of a tripartite soul.
What's my vice mean?
A vice is a
moral failing or a bad habit
. … But anything can be a vice, as long as there's someone out there who views it as bad behavior or a moral weakness. You might say, casually, “Chocolate ice cream is my vice. I eat it every day.”
Is Meno a name?
The surname Meno is
a habitational name from the province of Burgos
, derived from the Old Spanish word “mena” and the Latin word “minae” meaning “battlement.” The name was typically given to someone who lived on a high spot or mountain. Mena was also a Roman goddess.
What is the Socratic method?
What is the Socratic Method? Developed by the Greek philosopher, Socrates, the Socratic Method is
a dialogue between teacher and students
, instigated by the continual probing questions of the teacher, in a concerted effort to explore the underlying beliefs that shape the students views and opinions.
What does Meno mean in music?
British Dictionary definitions for meno (1 of 2)
meno. / (ˈmɛnəʊ) / adverb music. (esp preceding a dynamic or tempo marking)
to be played less quickly, less softly
, etc. short for meno mosso.
What type of person is Meno?
PLATO: MENO. a young Thessalian aristocrat from Pharsalus, who is apparently staying in Athens with Anytus.
an Athenian democratic politician
, son of a self-made man, a tanner by trade; he was military commander of an expedition to Pylos in 409 B.C.–which he botched and for which he was prosecuted [Diodorus 13. 54].
Who taught Meno?
He was a student of Socrates and later taught Aristotle. He founded the Academy, an academic program which many consider to be the first Western university.
Plato
wrote many philosophical texts—at least 25. He dedicated his life to learning and teaching and is hailed as one of the founders of Western philosophy.
What's the closest Socrates and Meno get to a conclusion?
Upon investigation of the qualities of the soul, Socrates and Meno come to the conclusion that “
virtue is wisdom, either the whole or part of it
” (89a) and thus reject one of the hypotheses proposed by Meno (that some can obtain virtue by nature).
What is Plato's paradox?
The argument known as “Meno's Paradox” can be reformulated as follows:
If you know what you're looking for, inquiry is unnecessary
. If you don't know what you're looking for, inquiry is impossible. Therefore, inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible.
What question does Meno ask Socrates?
Summary. The Meno is probably one of Plato's earliest dialogues, with the conversation dateable to about 402 BCE. The dialogue begins with Meno asking Socrates
whether virtue can be taught
, and this question (along with the more fundamental question of what virtue is) occupies the two men for the entirety of the text.
Was Socrates a sophists?
Guthrie classified Socrates as a sophist
in his History of Greek Philosophy. Before Plato, the word “sophist” could be used as either a respectful or contemptuous title. It was in Plato's dialogue, Sophist, that the first record of an attempt to answer the question “what is a sophist?” is made.
