Socrates Vs Menon

In Plato’s Menon, Socrates and Menon mainly discuss three things through the whole dialogue: What is virtue? Whether virtue can be taught? If not, then how can a person acquire virtue? Menon starts the conversation by asking Socrates if virtue is teachable. Socrates changes the subject by questioning Menon the definition of virtue first in order to answer his question. Menon confidently answers that virtue is different for different people. For men, virtue is to take care of his business and to help friends. For women, virtue is to manage housework and to be obedient to his husband. Menon believes that there are countless types of virtue. However, Socrates denied his opinion by saying that virtue has to be something in common of what he mentioned

He indicates that being virtuous ultimately helps people to reach their goals. In order to do so, people need to become powerful, which implies, being able to dominate others. Socrates, however, argues that the good way to rule men is to rule justly, but being just only represents one aspect of virtue instead of defining virtue. Menon mistakenly put justice in the wrong position. To illustrate, Socrates uses an example of defining figure. Menon agrees that neither can he use circles or squares to define shape, nor put another term—color, into the definition of shape. To please Socrates, Menon then revises his defense by claiming virtue is the ability to desire and obtain good things. Socrates disagrees because Menon overlooks that everyone actually admires good things instead of asking for being miserable on purpose. After a long-time debate, Socrates and Menon fail to draw a definition of virtue; Socrates explains that since they do not know what virtue is, even if they figure it out, they are more likely fail to recognize that is the true

Therefore, there have to be some instructors who are able to teach virtue. Meanwhile, Anytos comes and joins the conversation. Socrates suggests that sophists have knowledge and wisdom so that they can be competent. However, Anytos rejects his idea immediately, stating that sophists fool and corrupt people who learn from them. Anytos advocates that educated gentleman of Athens could be suitable for teaching; Anytos assumes that they have learned virtue from their fathers so that citizens can be virtuous by learning from them. Socrates disagrees with Anytos and he points out that Themistocles teaches his son to be a good person but his son fails to be as virtuous as his father. As a result, Socrates believes that virtue cannot be exactly acquired so that it is not knowledge; however, virtue indeed is useful and it guides