PLATO'S MENO

Plato’s Meno

(70a) The three questions posed by the Meno are:

1. Can virtue be taught?
2. Is it the result of practice?
3. Do people possess it by nature, that is, are they born that way?
(71e) Meno suggests many virtues, “It is not hard to tell you…”
(72c) Socrates points out that “Even if they are many and various, all of them have one and the same form…”
Therefore: courage, honesty, fidelity and patience are virtues; but not Virtue itself. What Socrates wants to discover is- What is common to all these virtues?
(74b) The form of Virtue versus individual virtues is compared to the form of Shape versus individual shapes. “That is likely, but I am eager…”
QUESTION: Do people possess Virtue by nature, that is, are they born that way?
(87e) Is virtue something beneficial? “And if we are good, we are beneficient, for all that is good is beneficial…”
(88a) Things that benefit us? Health, wealth, strength and beauty. But it seems that is the right use of these things, not the things themselves, that are beneficial.
(88c) Thus, it seems that wisdom is necessary in order to make these things beneficial. And wisdom is a kind of knowledge. And furthermore it seems that not all people possess this knowledge, which means (89a) “…the good are not so by nature.”
Here is Socrates’ refutation of question number 3.
QUESTION: Can virtue be taught?
(93a,b) “I believe, Anytus, that there are many men …” There are virtuous men, but can these men who possess virtue teach it?
(93d,e) Themistocles’ son Cleophantus did not learn wisdom and virtue from his father, but rather horsemanship.
(94d) “It is surely clear that he would not have…” “…virtue can certainly not be taught.”
(96c) Socrates’ refutation of number 1.
QUESTION: Is it the result of practice?
If virtue is a kind of wisdom, and therefore a kind of knowledge, then virtue is not like a skill (horsemanship or business) which can be acquired through practice. Therefore, it follows that if virtue can neither be taught nor do people possess it by nature, then it cannot be the result of practice.
Socrates maintains that Virtue is a kind of knowledge, and that it can only be obtained by recollection. (81e) “Yes, Socrates, but how do you mean that we do not learn, but that what we call learning is recollection?”
(82b) Socrates says, “Pay attention then whether you think he is recollecting or learning from me.”