Meno Begins by Asking Whether Virtue Is Essay

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Meno begins by asking whether virtue is taught. What reason does Socrates give for not trying to answer this question? (5 marks)

Socrates states that virtue cannot be taught because he does not know what the definition of virtue is (which he says is also true of all people in Athens.)

What, according to Socrates, is wrong with Meno's first attempt (in paragraph 5) to say what virtue is? (5 marks)

The first definition offered by Meno is too scattered. Virtue is defined by Meno as being a variety of qualities for all people. For men, it is managing the city, for women the home, and for children obedience. However, Socrates argues that since all human beings are fundamentally human beings, there should be a singular definition of virtue for all.

Q3. What is Socrates' objection to Meno's second attempt (in paragraph 13) to say what virtue is? (5 marks)

The second attempt has the opposite problem -- it is too general.

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Socrates says that to define virtue as 'to rule' is unacceptable because this would not constitute virtue for a child or for a slave, and for a slave to be 'virtuous' under this definition, this would mean he was no longer a slave.

Q4. Drawing on this passage and on your study of the Laches, explain why Plato might have thought that the right way to begin an inquiry into virtue is to look for a definition of virtue. How might a moral traditionalist object to his approach? (35 marks)

According to Socrates, we cannot teach virtue until we know what it is. In the Laches, there is considerable debate about how to educate the youth in terms of what constitutes military valor. Definitions of courage according to commonly-accepted wisdom are often too narrow, and merely serve the interests of the state, such as the idea that courage in the field of….....

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