Plato’s Meno

Week 8: Conclusions?

For this class please have the whole of the Meno read in advance. In particular, today we will be concentrating on 96d-100e, but we will also be taking a retrospective look through the whole of the dialogue.

The distinction between knowledge and true belief

This is an important distinction according to Socrates, and certainly there is a valid difference separating the two. Socrates argues that one can have a true belief — a belief that is in fact correct — without it being the same as actual knowledge. Is there a difference? If so, what is that difference?

At the same time, if one erroneously supposes that he or she knows something that is in fact true and correct, does that produce any real difference in either behavior or epistemological options as distinct from genuine knowledge (which is presumably backed up with irrefutable argument?

True belief can be “anchored”, according to Socrates, by reasoning

This is only true, of course, of valid reasoning. On Socrates’ terms, valid reasoning is apparently coterminous with recollection, though the specific reason for that may not be clear to us. Do you agree? Would there be other ways of anchoring an argument and making it secure as actual knowledge other than by recollection?

What have we learned about virtue (if anything)?

What do you think? Have we answered the (somewhat smaller) question of whether virtue can be acquired by education?