The Definition Of Virtue In Meno's 'Paradox'

Meno’s paradox also popularly known as the ‘debater’s argument’ is one of the widely read dialogs by philosophers. The paradox is a Socratic dialogue authored by Plato. The paradox attempts to find out the actual definition of virtue. The main speakers or characters in this dialogue are Meno, and Socrates and the paradox arise as they try to discuss human virtues. In this dialogue, Meno puts forward numerous hypothetical definitions of human virtues, that is, arete. Socrates goes on and refutes this hypothetical definition. Socrates seeks to examine and seek the true definition of virtual with Meno, but he is not ready to be easily led into Socrates philosophical perplexities. Meno is well trained in winning arguments, which is rhetoric and, therefore, has earned himself the assortment of debater’s argument. He is ready to use his experience in obstructing or in other words, putting up roadblocks to any further inquiry. …show more content…
He goes further to question Socrates on how he could set up something that he does not know as the object of his search. Meno challenges Socrates to explain how he would realize what he was looking for if by any chance he came across it if at all he did know it at first. However Socrates challenges him, by asking him whether a man should search for what he only knows or doesn’t know. This argument, that is, Meno's paradox mainly challenges three main arguments. First, is inquiry unnecessary, if one does not know what they are looking for? Secondly, is inquiry impossible if you do not know what you are looking for? Moreover, finally, is an inquiry, therefore, impossible or