Socrates and Meno have a continuing argument about virtue. They both find virtue very hard to explain, and subsequently, ask the question whether virtue can be taught or whether or not it is purchased naturally. Socrates asks Meno to describe virtue, and continually ingeniously twists the questions around making Meno have second thoughts about his ideas. Socrates cases that virtue can not be taught, and is only a trait given to a person by God himself. First of all, I will go into great depth about the controversy between Socrates and Meno about virtue. A dialogue between Socrates and Meno's young slave guy will allow me to establish that virtue can't be categorised as knowledge, and since everything knowledgeable can be trained, virtue can't be taught.
In many people's eyes, virtue can be easily be thought as general moral excellence, but Plato's Meno asks the question whether virtue can in fact be taught. In Plato's Meno, Meno starts off by requesting Socrates if virtue can be taught or if it's unteachable but can be gained obviously or in some other way. Socrates promises he does not even know very well what virtue is strictly, so he himself cannot teach it. Then asks Meno to try and summarize virtue to him. Meno says that virtue is to desire fine things such as money and health, and having the power to get them. He also says that virtue is intelligence and courage, but Socrates is not satisfied with Meno's description. Socrates asks Meno how virtue can be trained, if he can not give him an obvious explanation of what virtue is.
Socrates arises with a theory where he says that the heart and soul is immortal, and it already is aware everything that is out there because it was created in a past life, therefore any knowledge gained is actually only remembering the past. This theory is called the theory of recollection, and it claims that inquiry is impossible, so when you think you are learning something new, you are only "recollecting" something that was already known. To prove this theory, Socrates discusses a dialogue with a boy who's Meno's slave. Socrates asks this young man to give him a geometrical problem that requires many steps to comprehend and solve. Socrates asks the son questions, to be able to guide him through the challenge to reach a solution. Socrates concludes that since this youngster was not educated in math beforehand, he will need to have had some knowledge of this subject matter in a earlier life, and the boy must have used this knowledge to resolve the challenge. Socrates claim is the fact the only way virtue can be trained is if knowledge matters as virtue, therefore whatever can be known can be taught. Meno will abide by Socrates, but says that he needs better evidence that virtue is knowledge or vice versa. Socrates says that if virtue is with the capacity of being shown, then there are people out there who are able to coach it, but since no person can explain virtue, this implies nobody can instruct it, therefore virtue cannot be taught. Since virtue can't be taught, it can not be considered knowledge, because anything proficient can be educated. Socrates therefore concludes that virtue is not natural or achievable, it is only a trait directed at a person by God and can't be acquired.
Meno calling Socrates a torpedo seafood, in relevance to an electric eel that stuns its prey. He does this because Meno doesn't really know what to say about virtue, he says he is aware of what it is when he recognizes it, he just doesn't know how to describe it. To say what goodness or quality is, is not the same as saying what in particular is good. Corresponding to Meno's paradox, you can't learn anything new. You either already understood it, or you didn't know it, therefore you won't identify it when you see it.
Socrates is not expressing that is unable of learning virtue; he says the concept of virtue can be discovered, but it can't be taught. In Plato's Meno, Socrates remarks that he understands many virtuous men, but if virtue can be taught, why haven't these man passed on there virtue with their sons? Every explanation of virtue that Meno has provided has been dismantled by Socrates. Therefore, we can conclude that according to Socrates, virtue is impossible to identify. Since everything that can be described can be educated, and Socrates, Meno, and anyone else for example, has failed to give a concrete classification, virtue can not be taught. Socrates claim is that the concept of virtue can be educated, but the characteristic itself can't be taught, is not innately purchased, and is merely a God given characteristic.
