The proverb says that two are needed for tango. But not just for tango. Two are needed for the search for truth. So thought the philosophers of ancient Greece. Socrates did not record discussions with his students. His discoveries could have disappeared if the students had not recorded the dialogues of which they were participants. An example of this is the dialogue of Plato.
Friend and student of Socrates
A man who does not have a true friend is not worthy to live. So thought Democritus. Friendship, in his opinion, is based on rationality. Creates her unanimity. It follows that one intelligent friend is better than hundreds of others.
As a philosopher, Plato was a pupil and follower of Socrates. But not only. Following the definitions of Democritus, they were also friends. Both have recognized this fact more than once. But there are things higher up the ladder of values.
"Plato is my friend but the truth is dearer". The highest virtue of the philosopher is the goal, the pursuit of which is the meaning of life. Philosophy could not ignore this subject. About it is discussed in the dialogue of Plato "Menon".
Socrates, Anith and …
Although only two are needed for dialogue, a third is often needed. He is not a participant, but is necessary to demonstrate the validity of the arguments. Slave Anit just serves this purpose in the "Menon" of Plato. Socrates, with his help, proves the innateness of some knowledge.
Any thought must be proved. Where does our knowledge come from? Socrates believed that their source is the past life of man. But this is not a theory of reincarnation. The past life, according to Socrates, is the presence of the human soul in the divine world. Memories of him are knowledge.
Briefly about the main thing
It all starts with Menon’s question about how to achieve virtue. Is it given by nature or can it be learned? Socrates argues that neither one nor the other can be accepted. Because virtue is divine. Therefore, it is impossible to learn. Even less virtue can be a gift from nature.
"Menon" of Plato is divided into three parts:
- Definition of the subject of research.
- Source of knowledge.
- The nature of virtue.
The analysis in Plato's Menon is based on a sequence of actions, each of which is a necessary link in the chain of evidence.
This approach ensures that nothing remains unexplored, unsaid and uncertain. If you don’t understand where knowledge comes from, you can’t say anything about its truth. It is useless to discuss a phenomenon without knowing its nature. And there is nothing to discuss if everyone imagines the subject of the dispute in his own way.
What is the argument about?
The subject of dialogue should be understood by both parties equally. Otherwise it may turn out, as in the parable of three blind men who decided to find out what an elephant is. One held onto the tail and thought it was a rope. Another touched his foot and likened the elephant to a pillar. The third felt the trunk and claimed that it was a snake.
Socrates in Plato's Menon from the very beginning began to define what was the subject of discussion. He refuted the widespread idea of many kinds of virtue: for men and women, the elderly and children, slaves and free people.
Menon adhered to a similar idea, but Socrates compared such a multitude with a bee swarm. It is impossible to determine the essence of a bee by reference to the existence of different bees. Thus, the studied concept can only be the idea of virtue.
Idea is a source of knowledge
With the idea of virtue, it is easy to understand its various forms. Moreover, there is no such phenomenon in the existing world that can be understood without possessing its idea.
But there is no idea as such in the surrounding reality. So, it is in the person who knows the world. Where in it? Only one answer is possible: the divine, perfect and wonderful world of ideas.
The soul, eternal and immortal, is, as it were, its imprint. She saw, knew, remembered all the ideas while she was in their world. But the confusion of the soul with the material body "coarsens" it. Ideas fade, become covered with the silt of reality, are forgotten.
But do not disappear. Awakening is possible. It is necessary to ask questions correctly so that the soul, trying to answer them, remembers what it knew from the beginning. This is demonstrated by Socrates.
He asks Anita about the properties of the square and gradually leads the latter to an understanding of its essence. Moreover, Socrates himself did not give clues, only asked questions. It turns out that Anit simply remembered the geometry, which he did not study, but knew before.
Divine essence is the nature of things
The essence of geometry is no different from any other. The same reasoning applies to virtue. Cognition is impossible if you do not possess its idea. In the same way, one cannot learn virtue or find it in innate properties.
A carpenter can teach another person his art. The tailor's skill can be obtained from a specialist with it. But there is no such art as virtue. There are no "specialists" possessing it. Where do the students come from if there are no teachers?
If so, says Menon, then where do good people come from? It is impossible to learn this, but they are not born good. How to be?
Socrates counters these objections by saying that a good person can be called a person who is guided by the right opinion. If it leads to a goal, just like the mind, then the result will be the same.
For example, someone, not knowing the road, but having a true opinion, will lead people from one city to another. The result will be no worse than if he possessed an innate knowledge of the way. So he did the right thing and good.
