Socrates 'Shape In The Play Meno'
<center>"Shape is that which alone of existing things always follows color."
<br>"A shape is that which limits a solid; in a word, a shape is the limit of a solid."</center>
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<br>In the play Meno, written by Plato, there is a point in which Meno asks that Socrates give a definition of shape. In the end of it, Socrates is forced to give two separate definitions, for Meno considers the first to be foolish. As the two definitions are read and compared, one is forced to wonder which, if either of the two, is true, and if neither of them are true, which one has the most logic. When comparing the first definition of shape: "that which alone of existing things always follows color," to the second definition: "the limit of a solid", it can be seen …show more content…
It is for each to draw a conclusion from.
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<br>Then the question arises as to the truth and logic involved in Socrates' second definition, which is given purely to please Meno. The problem that occurs when this statement is made is that it is mathematically impossible to have a finite number of shapes; therefore, there are an infinite amount of solids, meaning that a solid cannot be limited. A shape can look like anything; it can have any form, but the instant that even the smallest part of that shape is moved or shifted, it becomes a different shape altogether. Several examples exist that can prove this statement untrue. Take the word "round", which Socrates used as an aid in an example that was given to Meno in a previous part of the text. A ball, for instance, is a round solid (round being any shape that has a circumference), so the conclusion can be reached that the ball is a solid and round is its shape, therefore the shape is limited by only the solidity of the ball. Thus, this does not support Socrates' definition, for it shows that the shape is limited by the solid, not that the solid is limited by the shape.
<br>"A shape is that which limits a solid; in a word, a shape is the limit of a solid."</center>
<br>
<br>In the play Meno, written by Plato, there is a point in which Meno asks that Socrates give a definition of shape. In the end of it, Socrates is forced to give two separate definitions, for Meno considers the first to be foolish. As the two definitions are read and compared, one is forced to wonder which, if either of the two, is true, and if neither of them are true, which one has the most logic. When comparing the first definition of shape: "that which alone of existing things always follows color," to the second definition: "the limit of a solid", it can be seen …show more content…
It is for each to draw a conclusion from.
<br>
<br>Then the question arises as to the truth and logic involved in Socrates' second definition, which is given purely to please Meno. The problem that occurs when this statement is made is that it is mathematically impossible to have a finite number of shapes; therefore, there are an infinite amount of solids, meaning that a solid cannot be limited. A shape can look like anything; it can have any form, but the instant that even the smallest part of that shape is moved or shifted, it becomes a different shape altogether. Several examples exist that can prove this statement untrue. Take the word "round", which Socrates used as an aid in an example that was given to Meno in a previous part of the text. A ball, for instance, is a round solid (round being any shape that has a circumference), so the conclusion can be reached that the ball is a solid and round is its shape, therefore the shape is limited by only the solidity of the ball. Thus, this does not support Socrates' definition, for it shows that the shape is limited by the solid, not that the solid is limited by the shape.