Socratic Aporia the Knowledge Behind Truth - 787 Words

While reading Five Dialogues by Plato, I came to a lot of dead ends in deciphering the conversations Socrates had with Meno and Euthyphro. Each conversation seemed like it was running in circles but I realized they were running in circles because the conclusion was difficult to define. Socrates counters statements that Euthyphro and Meno make with more questions and eventually they both give up. In Lecture 2, you wrote, â€Å"active interpretation of the cultural system into which we are flung by fate opens up new horizons of human possibility.† The idea of active interpretation is what Socrates asks of Euthyphro and Meno. I believe that Socrates was born into a period when language and beliefs were questioned which is why he searched for the†¦show more content†¦Now when I think of being holy, I cannot think of a good definition because my previous definition is in fact not being holy, it’s just conforming to society. Euthyphro and I have similar ignorance whe n it comes to what it truly means to be holy because our definition is simply repeating what someone else thinks. Socrates comes to the decision that nobody truly knows what it is to be holy. In the Meno dialogue, Socrates and Meno discuss the meaning of virtue and whether or not it can be taught. For obvious reasons you cannot teach something you do not have knowledge of and it is at this point that Meno is compelled to give a definition. â€Å"If you want the virtue of a man, it is easy to say that a man’s virtue consists of being able to manage public affairs and in so doing to benefit his friends and harm his enemies and to be careful that no harm comes to himself; if you want the virtue of a woman, it is not difficult to describe: she must manage the home well, preserve its possessions, and be submissive to her husband.† To start, Meno’s description of virtue is very one-sided and favors society’s idea of the male role. I understand that the time of this dialogue is nothing like the times we are living in now but it is difficult to read that the virtue of a woman is so shallow. I believe virtue is conducting yourself in a moral and ethical way and to be moral andShow MoreRelatedEssay about Meno and the Socratic Method1413 Words   |  6 Pageshow? And if not, then how does virtue come to man, either by nature or some other way? Socrates addresses this inquiry by questioning a person who claims to understand the term’s meaning (Platos Meno). The purpose of this essay is to relate the Socratic method performed by Socrates in Plato’s dialogue The Apology, to Meno, by illustrating its effect on the character Meno himself. After questioning Meno about virtue, Socrates comes to the conclusion that neither he nor Meno truly know the meaningRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Of Socrates1434 Words   |  6 Pageshe is not transferring any knowledge from himself to others, but rather assisting those he interacts with in reaching the truth. This assistance is the reason Socrates walks around Athens, engaging in conversation with anyone that he can convince to converse with him. An assertion he makes at his trial in Plato’s Apology is at the center of what drives Socrates in his abnormal ways, â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being† (38a). Socrates, through aporia, looks to lead an examinedRead MoreThe Apology Written By Plato Essay919 Words   |  4 Pageswhich consisted of Socrates teaching them to question what they thought to be true. Socrates’ method of inquiry drove his listeners to question their beliefs and often brought them to a state of puzzlement, or a sta te Plato calls ‘aporia.’ There are many examples of the Socratic method present in The Meno, which is also written by Plato. The entirety of The Apology consists of Socrates explaining his methods, like those in the Meno, and telling the jury that his intentions were all for the best sake ofRead More Researching Socratic Pedagogy and Education in Platos Republic4973 Words   |  20 PagesResearching Socratic Pedagogy and Education in Platos Republic ABSTRACT: Though Plato never wrote a dialogue that explicitly asks, What is education?, few argue that he is uninterested in the subject; after all, Plato, like Socrates, was a teacher. In his magnum opus, the Republic, Plato deals with education repeatedly. The eduction of the guardian class and the allegory of the cave present two landmark pedagogical passages. Yet to catch a glimpse of Socratic pedagogy, we must first sift