“Meno” by Plato — 2

Meno’s Paradox & Theory of Recollection

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“Meno” by Plato — 1

MENO’S PARADOX-

Finding himself in a state of aporia (See note 1) after three unsuccessful attempts at finding a definition of arete (See note 2), Meno compares Socrates with a torpedo fish which “always numbs whoever comes near and gets into contact with it” (80a6–7), and questions the very validity of conducting such definitional inquiries, by a question that is now known as ‘Meno’s Paradox’ in the history of philosophy.

How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know? (80c)

Here he is indulging in the principle of priority of definition (interestingly led by Socrates) which can be stated as: “If I don’t know X, I know nothing about X.” One can reconstruct Meno’s reasoning as follows:

1. If I don’t know what X is, I know nothing about X…