0100 Meno 80b

Jun 30, 2023 · 14m

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Meno has effectively excused himself from answering again about virtue. Socrates pretends to acknowledge that neither of them knows what virtue is, in order to suggest that they search together...

Meno has effectively excused himself from answering again about virtue. Socrates pretends to acknowledge that neither of them knows what virtue is, in order to suggest that they search together for it. Meno immediately raises the eristic argument whereby searching is pointless - either one knows and therefore has no need of searching, or one does not know, which makes searching futile since one would not recognize the thing searched for even if found. This is actually not an eristic argument, but is Meno's appropriation of an eristic question, "Who searches for something, the one who knows, or the one who does not know?" Will Socrates be convinced by Meno's attempt to avoid further interrogation?

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