Meno

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Meno

work by Plato

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June 30, 2026

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The Meno is a dialogue written by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato that explores the nature of virtue and knowledge. The central question is whether virtue can be taught. The dialogue features Socrates questioning Meno, who struggles to define virtue. A key concept introduced is the doctrine of recollection, which suggests that learning is a process of remembering innate knowledge. The dialogue also distinguishes between knowledge and mere true belief, illustrating the Socratic method of inquiry through questioning to reveal ignorance and stimulate philosophical reflection.123

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Plato
Early dialogues of Plato
The Meno takes up the familiar question of whether virtue can be taught, and, if so, why eminent men have not been able to bring up their sons to be virtuous. Concerned with method, the dialogue develops Meno’s problem: How is it possible to search either…
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The Meno takes up the familiar question of whether virtue can be taught, and, if so, why eminent men have not been able to bring up their sons to be virtuous. Concerned with method, the dialogue develops Meno’s problem: How is it possible to search either…
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$optical illusion: refraction of light$
epistemology
The origins of knowledge
As in the Meno, Plato concluded that such knowledge is “recollected” by the soul from an earlier existence.
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As in the Meno, Plato concluded that such knowledge is “recollected” by the soul from an earlier existence.
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rationalism
Epistemological rationalism in ancient philosophies
In the Meno, Socrates (c. 470–399 bce) dramatized the innateness of knowledge by calling upon an illiterate slave boy and, drawing a square in the sand, proceeding to elicit from him, step by step, the proof of a theorem in geometry of which the boy could never…
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In the Meno, Socrates (c. 470–399 bce) dramatized the innateness of knowledge by calling upon an illiterate slave boy and, drawing a square in the sand, proceeding to elicit from him, step by step, the proof of a theorem in geometry of which the boy could never…
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hypothesis
…described by Plato in the Meno.
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…described by Plato in the Meno.
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