Phil 2
Professor: P. Perez
04.07.2017
Meno’s Paradox What is Menos Paradox? Does Socrates sufficiently respond to Meno's Paradox? Well that question is easier asked and answered. From what I understand Meno questions, Socrates something in the likes of “can you tell me, Socrates, is virtue something acquired by teaching? Or is it something acquired not by teaching, but by practice? Or is it something acquired neither by practice, nor by learning, but something human beings possess by nature or in some other way?” (meno,70a) at this point Socrates and Meno will look to try to define the terms and ethics, in this case by questioning one another what is virtue. Who is Meno and what does he know of virtue? Well form what I read Meno …show more content…
While explaining themselves they came upon what we find out to be known as Meno’s Paradox. Is virtue something learned or practiced and can we learn things without already knowing them such as our soul is immortal and knows fire is hot before we are even introduce to it? Socrates defends his point of view, that if a man can recall one idea only, then searching and learning are as a whole, ultimately, a recollection. Meno does not understand this argument. So, Socrates uses some various examples of virtue and ultimately questions a slave Greek boy owned by Meno. Socrates asked the boy do you know that of a square figure looks like. Yes, I do the boy replies. He then asks is a square four-sided figure with equal sides. The slave boy replies with a yes. Socrates then questions the size of the square, and comes to ask that if the figure is x amount of feet this way and x foot that way then the line would be x feet. The boy agrees with a yes again. Now if it’s also x amount feet the other way, then it would be x feet in total. Then he asked the slave boy with all sides been x amount of feet, what would be the sum of the figure? The boy answers this would make it xy feet, the boy agrees with the knowledge that that Socrates has provided about the
Professor: P. Perez
04.07.2017
Meno’s Paradox What is Menos Paradox? Does Socrates sufficiently respond to Meno's Paradox? Well that question is easier asked and answered. From what I understand Meno questions, Socrates something in the likes of “can you tell me, Socrates, is virtue something acquired by teaching? Or is it something acquired not by teaching, but by practice? Or is it something acquired neither by practice, nor by learning, but something human beings possess by nature or in some other way?” (meno,70a) at this point Socrates and Meno will look to try to define the terms and ethics, in this case by questioning one another what is virtue. Who is Meno and what does he know of virtue? Well form what I read Meno …show more content…
While explaining themselves they came upon what we find out to be known as Meno’s Paradox. Is virtue something learned or practiced and can we learn things without already knowing them such as our soul is immortal and knows fire is hot before we are even introduce to it? Socrates defends his point of view, that if a man can recall one idea only, then searching and learning are as a whole, ultimately, a recollection. Meno does not understand this argument. So, Socrates uses some various examples of virtue and ultimately questions a slave Greek boy owned by Meno. Socrates asked the boy do you know that of a square figure looks like. Yes, I do the boy replies. He then asks is a square four-sided figure with equal sides. The slave boy replies with a yes. Socrates then questions the size of the square, and comes to ask that if the figure is x amount of feet this way and x foot that way then the line would be x feet. The boy agrees with a yes again. Now if it’s also x amount feet the other way, then it would be x feet in total. Then he asked the slave boy with all sides been x amount of feet, what would be the sum of the figure? The boy answers this would make it xy feet, the boy agrees with the knowledge that that Socrates has provided about the