What They're Arguing About
Meno initiates a conversation by asking Socrates if virtue is something that can be taught to others. Socrates claims total ignorance, insisting that he has never met anyone who truly knows what virtue is. When Meno attempts to define it by listing types of virtue — like a man's, a woman's, or a child's — Socrates rejects the answer as a mere catalog rather than a singular definition. As the discussion deepens into the nature of knowledge and recollection, Meno accuses Socrates of paralyzing his intellect like a torpedo fish. They eventually stumble into a tentative conclusion about whether virtue is an innate, God-given instinct or an acquirable discipline.
Speakers
- Socrates
Uses questions to dismantle Meno's confident definitions of moral terms.
- Meno
Attempts to provide definitive answers while struggling with Socratic interrogation.
- Gorgias
A sophist whose teachings Meno tries to defend throughout the dialogue.
- Anytus
An Athenian politician invoked by the speakers as a potential antagonist.
What it's really about
- Definition
- Seeking a single essence for complex moral concepts.
- Anamnesis
- The idea that knowledge is recovered through reminiscence.
Why it's memorable
- Meno comparing Socrates to a numbing, flat torpedo fish.
- A statesman standing as a reality among flitting shades.
What they conclude
Socrates departs, tasking Meno with the diplomatic mission of soothing the offended Anytus.
For your book club
- Why must one define a thing before knowing its qualities?
- Can divine intuition substitute for a structured education?