MENO : the paradox of inquiry and the doctrine of recollection

Can virtue be taught

“being teachable “ is a feature or property of something

• whether or not something has or can have a certain property depends on the kind of thing it is

Euthypro and virtue

1st definition

• virtue for every action, age, and task

• man’s virtue is being able to manage public affairs and so benefit his friends and harm his enemies

• woman’s virtue is to manage home affairs well and be obedient to the husband

• child’s virtue - elderly man’s virtue

2nd definition

• virtue is the ability to rule over people

  • objection : but then a slave's or a child’s virtue would be to rule over masters

  • objection 2 : virtue cannot merely the ability to rule over people and if at all moderately

3rd definition

• virtue is to desire beautiful things and to have the power to acquire them

  • Socrates argues all desire is only for good things and that everything beautiful is good = desire beautiful things

4th definition

• virtue is to have the power to acquire good things

  • objection : but is it not a virtue only when the good things are acquired justly, moderately, piously

5th definition

• virtue is to have the power to acquire good things justly, moderately, piously, are in some virtuous way

  • objection : the definition appeals to parts of virtue ( justice, moderation, piety ) in the course of giving an account of virtue

Interlude on definition

Socrates : wants to define virtue as a whole - it must be something that all instances and kinds of virtue share or have in common

• importance of clear definitions and understanding a concept and a universal definition

Meno’s Paradox

1. you either know or you do not know what you are looking for

2. if you know what you’re looking for, inquiry is unnecessary

3. if you don’t know what you’re looking for, inquiry is impossible

4. therefore, inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible

what you are looking for - knowing the question or knowing the answer

• using sense 1 ( knowing the question ) :

  • 3 is true, 2 is false

• using sense 2 ( knowing the answer

  • 2 is true, 3 is false

Theory of recollection

Plato’s answer : we already have within our souls the answers to such question. thus arriving at the answers is matter of retrieving them from within. we recognize them as correct when we confront them.

• Proof of recollection

  • at t1 it appears that the boy does not know that P.

  • at t2 the boy knows that P.

  • the boy does not acquire the knowledge that P during the interval between t1 and t2

• assumptions by Plato

  • Socrates didn’t do any teaching

  • only way to acquire new knowledge is to be taught it

• Plato thinks there is something innate

  • propositions

  • concepts

  • abilities

• Results of the discussion in Meno

  • there is some knowledge we have that is independent of expereince

    • we have this knowledge ( each of us ) simply in virtue of being well -functional human beings

Results of the discussion in Meno

• there is some knowledge we have that is independent of experience

  • we have this knowledge simply in virtue of being well-functional human beings

    • priori knowledge : knowledge from beforehand

    • knowledge that we acquire through experience is called a posteriori : knowledge afterwards

• 2 kinds of propositions are though to be candidates for priori knowledge

  • necessary propositions

    • necessary propositions cannot be false

    • contingent propositions can be false : all sisters are female

      • Barack Obama is the president

  • analytic propositions

    • analytic propositions have logical forms that guarantees that they are true

    • synthetic propositions lack this form

Plato’s thesis : there are necessary propositions ( such as geometry ) and these propositions must be known a priori - truth rests on priori justification