ipl-logo

Meno's Paradox Analysis

752 Words4 Pages

Meno’s Paradox, from Plato’s Meno questions how humans gain knowledge. Meno confronts Socrates with a paradox. The basis of Meno’s paradox is that in order to know about something we must know it completely or not at all. “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 confronts Socrates with this issue; if you know something, then you would not need to ask. If you do not know it, you would not know enough to ask about it. This issue leads Socrates to conclude that if Meno’s paradox is true, inquiry is either not possible or not needed. According to the …show more content…

Although Socrates’ demonstration was clever, it did not prove his point. I do not believe that Socrates’ response conquered the paradox, but rather looped around it and created another. I do not believe that his response to the paradox was good for a few reasons. If we assume his theory to be true, we are still left with many questions. The first problem, is that his theory does not answer the question of where or how these souls came about. Another question that is left unanswered is where or how the souls obtained the knowledge if inquiry is not a factor. We also do not have proof that the souls actually exist- and we are basing that off of the assumption that Socrates’ is correct.
His response loops us back around to the initial issue, and in term it may even create it’s own paradox. He believes that the soul is immortal, and has lived many lives and learned things and has true beliefs, but does not answer the question of how we know if those beliefs are absolutely true or not. Some more questions to argue Socrates theory of recollection would be, how can we determine when our beliefs are true? And what is the possibility that the knowledge we acquire is just collective false truths? How can we determine the difference between a false truth and the absolute

Show More
Related

Evaluating Socrates Claim In The Apology

835 Words | 4 Pages

Anish Yonjan Philosophy 1301-73426 Prof. Marcos Arandia Feb. 19, 2017 Explain and evaluate Socrates' claim in the Apology that "the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being," and briefly analyze and discuss the particular method he uses to discover the truth (i.e., dialectics or the Socratic Method), using at least two examples from Plato's Euthyphro and/or Apology. Do you agree that a human being cannot live a fully satisfying life if he or she remains ignorant, like the slavish prisoners in Plato's cave? Why or why not? In the Plato’s Apology, Socrates claims that the “unexamined life is not worth living for a human being”.

Read More

Comparing Socrates In The Apology, Crito, And The Republic

802 Words | 4 Pages

(20c) Socrates mentions that it was human wisdom and nothing more that has allowed himself to know what he knows. (20d) Socrates even mentions

Read More

A Comparison Of Truth In Theaetetus And Homer's Odyssey

1468 Words | 6 Pages

Plato would have quickly learned that many don't understand what they pretend to, especially the Sophists, who were known to argue using fallacious arguments. As many didn't understand the concepts, Platonic truth often followed a style that was less accessible to the average individual. We also know from that excerpt that Plato believed there could only be what is known for what you don't know; you're aware that you don't know it, so the unknown is simply an extension of the

Read More

Explain The Opposites Of Bigness According To Socrates

332 Words | 2 Pages

Plato claims that the soul is immortal because of his argument of Opposites, to which I agree. Socrates says, “For all things that come to be… [come] from their opposites if they have such...” and “…those that have an opposite must…come to be from their opposite and from nowhere else.” (70e) Socrates argues the opposites of Bigness and Smallness. For something to be considered big, it must have first been smaller, and for something to be considered small, it must have come from being big.

Read More

Similarities Between Socrates And Snowden

1280 Words | 6 Pages

Doing so would result in a weak soul that is full of ignorance. Socrates had developed an understanding that came from within. This gave him

Read More

Socrates Argumentative Analysis

1225 Words | 5 Pages

In Plato’s dialogue Phaedo, he explains the soul and comes to the conclusion that the soul is immortal. Through describing the last hours of Socrates life before his execution, he lays out three arguments in support of the idea that while the body may cease to exist the soul cannot perish. In this paper, I will explicate Socrates three arguments for the immortality of the soul and their objections. Then I will argue on the presupposition of the Law of Conservation of Mass, that the universe, entailing the soul, must be cyclical. The Law of Conservation of Mass

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Socrates 'Apology'

1314 Words | 6 Pages

He was proving this because throughout his speech, he made it seem like the idea of knowing the truth and having real knowledge about a subject wasn’t needed in order to achieve the goal of persuasion. In Socrates’ speech he stated, “...if I say that the unexamined life is not worth living, you’ll believe me even less... you think I’ve been convicted for lack of arguments that would have persuaded you…” Socrates never specified or went into details about his beliefs that he was presenting to the court which, revealed to them that he did not know anything. He wasn’t able to strengthen his claims by providing evidence meaning his use of logos was faulty. However, Socrates’ goal was not to gather evidence to make it seem as if he was putting all his efforts in saving his life.

Read More

Meno's Argument Essay: Can Virtue Be Taught?

418 Words | 2 Pages

The dialogue opens with Meno asking Socrates a question: Can virtue be taught? Initially, many definitions are conversed; followed by rather unconvincing arguments. Meno quickly seems to retire his cause, by providing a paradox, essentially meaning that they either know something or they do not. If

Read More

Analyzing Socrates Argument In Plato's Meno

1060 Words | 5 Pages

In order to establish my thesis, I will start by stating and explaining the argument that Socrates presents, I will

Read More

Fear Of Death In Plato's Apology

1115 Words | 5 Pages

“…if I disobeyed the oracle because I was afraid of death: then I should be fancying that I was wise when I was not wise. For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of the unknown: since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good” (Apology, 29a-29b). This potent statement not only highlights Socrates’ wisdom, it effectively makes use of his belief that he is wise because he knows nothing. By saying that he knows nothing of the afterlife, it gives him the reason to illustrate to his audience that he cannot fear what he does not know.

Read More

Meno's Idea Of Virtue

513 Words | 3 Pages

The dialogue Meno is more than likely Plato's earliest dialogues, with the conversation being dated to somewhere the time period of 402 BCE. In Plato s dialogue Socrates discusses ways in which virtue can be acquired with Meno. The conversation begins with Meno asking Socrates whether virtue can be taught, and this question keeps the two men in an engaging conversation about three ideas of virtue for the entirety of the text. At the end of the dialogue it ends rather inconclusively. They still have yet to define virtue, they don’t know if it is some sort of knowledge that can be taught or if it is innate, and if could be taught they do not have anyone who can teach this “principle”.

Read More

Crito Vs Socrates Essay

576 Words | 3 Pages

Socrates responds to this question by first establishing a definition of virtue. However, Meno has difficulty finding a fundamental definition of virtue, and instead suggests various examples of virtue. After a series of attempts in trying to define virtue, Meno admits he too does not know what virtue is and, when prompted to search for the definition, that it is impossible to search for what is not known. In response, Socrates explains that the soul is immortal and wise, so one only needs to remember what he once knew as shown through the attendant-geometry example. Socrates then tries to answer the initial question of can virtue be taught using hypotheses, for he might stumble upon the answer unknowingly, as the attendant did.

Read More

Serial Killer Thesis

737 Words | 3 Pages

The Trauma of Serial Killers by Ajohna Rice J. Williams Block 4 CCR English III 5 April 2024. ii Outline Thesis: Serial killers are a result of an unstable childhood and past trauma. Introduction The Desire to Kill Killer Mindset Motivations of a Serial Killer You’re not a Killer Conclusion. Rice 1

Read More

Socrates Vs Meno

571 Words | 3 Pages

(71a-71b). He tried to convince Meno of not knowing anybody in Athens who can answer the question of what virtue is (71b). Meno reacts to this by feeling a certain degree of disbelief, when he says, “...Socrates, do you really not know what virtue is? Are we to report this about you to the folks back home?” (71b-71c)

Read More

Three Acts Of The Mind: Understanding, Judgement, And Reason

969 Words | 4 Pages

Philosophical thinking uses three acts of the mind: understanding, judgement, and reason. In order to have a sound argument all of the concepts must be applied. Socrates didn’t want to please the people by saying or doing what they wanted him to say or do. Socrates thought it was not important to seek wealth or fame; he was concerned with truth and virtue. He wanted to create an impact on humanity by relying on the truth and shining a light in people’s lives, even if they put him on trial.

Read More

More about Meno's Paradox Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document