Introduction
Plato's "Meno" is about a dialogue which takes place between Meno, a nobleman from Thessaly and Socrates the great philosopher from Athens. The other important characters are the slave boy and Anytus (a wealthy aristocrat). The dialogue is very simple in form and takes an in-depth look at virtue. It consists of three parts: the definition of virtue, a demonstration which shows that successful inquiry is possible and an example of how virtue can be taught through a mathematical solution.
Meno's Paradox
Meno asks Socrates how one can find something which one does not know and if he finds it how will he know if it is the thing he does not know. Socrates and Meno discuss the nature of virtue and look at the ways virtue can be acquired. Meno questions whether virtue can be taught or learnt. He believes that there are three possibilities: virtue is something which is done through the recollection of memories by a person virtue can be taught or that virtue is a gift of God. Socrates is unable to talk about the characteristics of virtue as he believes that there is no answer to what virtue is. He wants Meno to find the answer himself by asking him to define the characteristics of virtue. Socrates does not have the knowledge about what qualities virtue has and the fact that he has never met anyone who knows the deepness of virtue. Virtue does not possess any quality as it is a thing which possesses qualities of its own.
Meno is very interested in learning and shows a lot of open mindedness to Socrates ideas. According to Meno, "There is virtue for every action and every age, for every task of ours and every one of us" (Plato. p71e. Meno. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1949) He feels t ...