Meno's Theory Of Education Analysis

Learning, what is it? Is it only, how it is defined, as the “acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught?” Is education something we can only obtain through our school system? Education actually begins when we are born; a voyage that has commenced, as we experience new things we develop and learn spiritually and intellectually. Socrates questioned what no man had before, rather than writing books he passed on his knowledge orally. Socrates pursued wisdom in his travels, and wanted to share what he learned with his fellow travelers, like Meno. Meno and Socrates call this journey “recollection”; to them we learn best when our already existing knowledge is questioned.
“You realize, Meno, what point he has reached …show more content…
If he acquired it, he cannot have done so in his present life. Or has someone taught him geometry?” (85e) Meno was under the impression that this boy had been born with this knowledge, but Socrates teaches him that he had come to learn geometry through another person. At first Meno suggest that since we live many lives our knowledge must be carried on from life to life but that is not the case. Socrates insists that one must search for things they do not already know and this is how they learn, we are not born with knowledge of everything. When we are born the world is our playground and we start learning based on the people and things in our surroundings. The people in our surroundings help us and teach us to do basic tasks such as crawl and eat and from that we know we are capable of learning new …show more content…
How will you aim to search from something you do not know at all?” (80d) Meno starts to question how Socrates plans on searching for virtue if he himself does not know what it is. Meno does not like the plan of openly searching for something one has no clue what it entails. Meno does not think it is possible for someone to learn new things because we do not know what we are looking for therefore we cannot learn new things. Meno brings up a good point, how would Socrates know what virtue look like if he knows absolutely nothing about it? Socrates wants to go on a journey that could potentially lead him anywhere and everywhere in order to find the answer to Meno’s questions of virtue. Socrates does not agree with Meno because he has known more people and acquired more knowledge therefore he goes on to share that knowledge so Meno can learn new things as