Meno's Paradox Analysis
Plato’s Meno is famous for being the first of his works, really any writings, to argue for the theory of recollection. It is an interesting set of reasonings has been introduced to solve the so called “Meno’s Paradox”. Through Socrates, Plato lays out an argument and also tries to show a so called example to prove his argument.
“Meno’s Paradox” stems from a discussion about virtue. In the dialogue Socrates claims to not know what virtue is but wants to “examine and seek together” with Meno as to what virtue is (Meno 80d). Meno lays out a “linguist puzzle” known as “Meno’s Paradox” or “The Paradox of Inquiry” with three questions (Cline 2). “How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know (Meno 80d)?” Socrates rephrases in a …show more content…
Further states that the “soul is reborn but never destroyed” and that the “soul has learned everything” (Meno 81b-c). Nothing is learned but “it (the soul) recollects the things it knew before”. Plato then attempts to provide some sort of formal proof that the theory is plausible (Cline 2). Socrates asks Meno to “call over one of these many attendants of yours” (Meno 82b). First Socrates asks a geometry question. The boy answers wrong twice even though he seemed confident about the first answer. Socrates then helps the boy to recollect the answer that his soul already knew through some questions with out exactly explaining anything. Plato infers that since the boy has not been taught the information but was able to come to the correct conclusion this must be proof of recollection. “If he has not acquired them(the anwers) in his present life, is it not clear that he had them and had learned them at some other time (Meno
“Meno’s Paradox” stems from a discussion about virtue. In the dialogue Socrates claims to not know what virtue is but wants to “examine and seek together” with Meno as to what virtue is (Meno 80d). Meno lays out a “linguist puzzle” known as “Meno’s Paradox” or “The Paradox of Inquiry” with three questions (Cline 2). “How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know (Meno 80d)?” Socrates rephrases in a …show more content…
Further states that the “soul is reborn but never destroyed” and that the “soul has learned everything” (Meno 81b-c). Nothing is learned but “it (the soul) recollects the things it knew before”. Plato then attempts to provide some sort of formal proof that the theory is plausible (Cline 2). Socrates asks Meno to “call over one of these many attendants of yours” (Meno 82b). First Socrates asks a geometry question. The boy answers wrong twice even though he seemed confident about the first answer. Socrates then helps the boy to recollect the answer that his soul already knew through some questions with out exactly explaining anything. Plato infers that since the boy has not been taught the information but was able to come to the correct conclusion this must be proof of recollection. “If he has not acquired them(the anwers) in his present life, is it not clear that he had them and had learned them at some other time (Meno