Meno

What is virtue, and can it be taught? In this short dialogue, Plato stages a conversation between Socrates and the young nobleman Meno, who asks that very question. Socrates, claiming he does not know the answer, leads Meno through a series of attempts to define virtue, each of which collapses under scrutiny. The discussion turns to a famous paradox: how can we search for something we do not know? Socrates responds with the theory of recollection, illustrating it by questioning an untutored slave boy about geometry. The dialogue then examines whether virtue is knowledge, and whether knowledge differs from true belief. A tense exchange with Anytus, a future accuser of Socrates, adds dramatic weight. The Meno ends without a final definition, but with a richer sense of the problems involved.

This edition presents the complete text in Benjamin Jowett's classic translation, with Jowett's own introduction and his essay On the Ideas of Plato. It adds a new introduction for first-time readers, a guide to key ideas and arguments, a summary of the dialogue, a discussion of major themes, a glossary of terms and names, and twelve questions for reflection and discussion. Whether you are studying Plato for the first time or returning to the Meno, this companion will help you follow the argument and join the conversation.