Plato's Arguments For Recollection In The Meno
Azuka Debbie Onyekwe
Nathan Poage
Phil 1301-14429
15 Sept. 2016
Plato's arguments for recollection in the Meno; what puzzle is recollection supposed to solve?
Plato put together a set of theories about the human soul and knowledge as follows. The theory of rationalism: Knowledge as an essential part of reasoning and the human soul cannot be eliminated. It is an innate feature of the human soul. The second is based on a theory of existence. It argues that the soul is immortal and cannot be annihilated. The soul pre-existed the body and will still be alive when the body dies. In addition, the third theory states that the soul secured all imaginable understanding during its preceding existences. This theory is showcased in the context of Meno and Socrates’s search for the essence of virtue. This paper will detail the confirmation of factual recollection with reference to Meno’s slave, its’ interpretation and the puzzle recollection aims to solve.
The confirmation of recollection from prior knowledge with new data presented (81e-86c). Socrates intends to prove the truth of recollection by inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning relies on the prediction that the future is likely to resemble the past. Socrates begins his argument from a hypothesis; the square, and triangle. Socrates also tries to epitomize knowledge by a series of expository …show more content…
He confirms the proposition through the test carried out on the slave and Plato seems to agree with him. The process helps to show what learning widely consists of. “Plato means us to see that in spite of the fact that one cannot know what virtue is like, the actual process of acquiring knowledge, that is the recollection, … with the ‘stirring up’ of innate true opinions” (JSTOR). In surmounting the obstacles that becloud one’s mind in believing, one has to search one’s soul, with an inquiry where necessary, and answers will always flood the
Nathan Poage
Phil 1301-14429
15 Sept. 2016
Plato's arguments for recollection in the Meno; what puzzle is recollection supposed to solve?
Plato put together a set of theories about the human soul and knowledge as follows. The theory of rationalism: Knowledge as an essential part of reasoning and the human soul cannot be eliminated. It is an innate feature of the human soul. The second is based on a theory of existence. It argues that the soul is immortal and cannot be annihilated. The soul pre-existed the body and will still be alive when the body dies. In addition, the third theory states that the soul secured all imaginable understanding during its preceding existences. This theory is showcased in the context of Meno and Socrates’s search for the essence of virtue. This paper will detail the confirmation of factual recollection with reference to Meno’s slave, its’ interpretation and the puzzle recollection aims to solve.
The confirmation of recollection from prior knowledge with new data presented (81e-86c). Socrates intends to prove the truth of recollection by inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning relies on the prediction that the future is likely to resemble the past. Socrates begins his argument from a hypothesis; the square, and triangle. Socrates also tries to epitomize knowledge by a series of expository …show more content…
He confirms the proposition through the test carried out on the slave and Plato seems to agree with him. The process helps to show what learning widely consists of. “Plato means us to see that in spite of the fact that one cannot know what virtue is like, the actual process of acquiring knowledge, that is the recollection, … with the ‘stirring up’ of innate true opinions” (JSTOR). In surmounting the obstacles that becloud one’s mind in believing, one has to search one’s soul, with an inquiry where necessary, and answers will always flood the