Philosophy Greek Revision Week 1

summer exam revision

Meno’s challenge for Socrates and Socrates’ response

Meno’s challenge- How do we become virtuous? Socrates’ response- asks if he can know what virtue if he does not know what virtue is. Also says that he does not know what virtue is, and has never met anyone who knows what virtue is.

Socrates’ potential argument

1) If you do not know what virtue is, you cannot know what properties virtue has.

2) If you cannot know what properties virtue has, you cannot know how to acquire it.

3) Therefore, if you do not know what virtue is, you cannot know how to acquire it.

Meno’s First Answer

Man’s virtue- to take part in the city’s affairs capably, and by doing so to benefit his friends and harm his enemies, while taking care that he himself does not suffer anything like that.

Woman’s virtue- to manage the household well, look after its contents, and be obedient to the man.

There is a different virtue for a child, male, female, an older man, a free man, a slave etc.

Socrates’ example of bees

Uses an example of bees to demonstrate what he means when he asks what is virtue, or what is needed in order to acquire an appropriate definition.

There are many types of bees, but Socrates states that they are all bees, so what is it that makes a bee what it is? What is it that all these bees have in common?

Meno’s Second Answer and Socrates’ objections

Virtue is being able to rule over everyone

Socrates’ first objection- excluding slaves and children (and women?)

Socrates’ second objection- can we rule unjustly and be virtuous?

Socrates’ third objection- isn’t justice just a virtue, and not a virtue itself?

Meno’s Third Answer

Virtue is to desire beautiful things and have the power to acquire them.

Socrates’ objection to the first part- Everyone desires good (beautiful) things

Socrates’ objection to the second part- Acquiring good things can be done unjustly. So, add justly to the second part

Socrates’ further objection to the second part- since justice is a virtue we are appealing to what we want to explain

Guide towards a good definition of F

1) Capture all cases of F

2) Do not capture cases that are not F

3) Do not include anything superfluous (irrelevant)

4) Do not appeal to F