Plato's Meno : an interpretation / Cristina Ionescu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ionescu, Cristina, 1977-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plato. Meno.

Plato.

Virtue.

Physical Description:

xix, 194 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, MD : Lexington Books, [2007]

Summary:

Plato's Meno: An Interpretation is a comprehensive study of the transitional dialogue dedicated to the investigation of virtue. Cristina Ionescu analyzes with approximately equal emphasis detail both the dramatic details and the logic of the arguments. By focusing on the interrelated themes that run through the text, Ionescu provides a comprehensive overview of the dialogue and a refreshing update of its argument. The theme of the Meno is the investigation of virtue with regard to both its essence and our possibility of acquiring it, whether we acquire virtue by nature, teaching, practice, or in some other way. As the nature of the theoretical investigation itself is made into a direct concern of the dialogue, and since the essence of virtue is closely associated with knowledge, the dialogue has both a moral and an epistemological dimension. The interwoven treatment of virtue and knowledge throughout the Meno enlarges the scope of interest to cover also several related themes: the immortality of the soul, the relationship between craft-like expertise and moral wisdom, the relationship between divine inspiration and virtue, the contrast between dialectical conversations and eristic disputes, and the importance of following appropriate methods in philosophical investigations. By examining these related ideas with clarity, Ionescu provides an invaluable guide to the dialogue. Plato's Meno: An Interpretation is an excellent book for readers of Plato at all levels: undergraduates, graduates, and specialists.

Contents:

I Socratic Elenchus and the Quest for the Essence of Virtue 1

I.1 Prologue (70a-71d) 1

I.2 Meno's First Definition of Virtue (71e1-73c5) 10

I.3 Meno's Second Definition of Virtue (73c6-75a) 14

I.4 Transitional Considerations: Socrates' Paradeigmata (75b-77a) 19

I.5 Meno's Third Definition of Virtue (77b2-79e) 25

II Recollection 39

II.1 Meno's Challenge Regarding the Possibility of Search (80d5-81a3) 39

II.2 The Mythical Introduction of Recollection (81a5-e2) 49

II.3 The Exhibition of Recollection (81e3-86c3) 64

III The Method of Hypothesis: Virtue and Knowledge 105

III.2 First Stage: If virtue is like knowledge or some sort of knowledge, then it is teachable, if not, not. (87b5-87c10) 111

III.3 Second Stage: Virtue is some sort of knowledge (wisdom). (87d1-89a5) 112

III.4 Third Stage: Virtue is not possessed by nature. Transition to Meno's Understanding of Knowledge and Teaching (89a5-c4) 119

III.5 Fourth Stage: There are no teachers of virtue. (89d1-96d) 121

III.6 Fifth Stage: True Opinion and Knowledge. (96d-100b) 136

III.7 Synoptic Overview 153

Appendix I The 'Lines through the Middle' in the Slave's Geometrical Problem 167

Appendix II The Initial Hypothesis in the Meno 171.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-184) and indexes.

ISBN:

0739120255

9780739120255

OCLC:

82367788