A Philosophy Of Education Analysis Of The Meno And Protagoras

A Philosophy of Education Analysis of the Meno and Protagoras The method of questioning that Socrates utilizes in the Meno is a type of poetic tale that is meant to reveal the idea of intelligence existing in the soul before birth. This type of story defines the importance of using allegory or using geometric figures to prove that a slave had a previous memory of geometry without being educated by a teacher. These types of questions seek to expose the fraud of sophistry by encouraging students to have faith in their â€Å"inner soul†, since it has memory of all that it has learned in previous lives. Therefore, Socrates attempts the trick the listen into understanding his point of view through a â€Å"mythos† or poetic tale. More so, the question of teaching virtue is also extended into the Protagoras dialogue, which defined a relativistic accounting of knowledge as not being absolute. These are important aspects of teaching methods that define how the Platonic dialogue defines inborn knowledge and the absolute nature of virtue in the soul. In the Meno, it is important to understand the concept of â€Å"knowledge† because the underlying argument for absolute truth is put forth by Socrates in the dialogue. Plato believed in the soul’s ability to know an absolute truth, which was carried within the soul before, during and after the life of the individual. However, the sophists believed that truth and knowledge was relativistic, which was different for every person. Attempting toShow MoreRelatedCan Virtue Be Acquired? An Examination of the Laches, Meno and Protagoras2955 Words   |  12 PagesCan Virtue be Acquired? An Examination of the Laches, Meno, and Protagoras In the Socratic dialogues of Plato, Socrates often argues against the pretence of knowledge in his interlocutors. In the case of the Laches, Meno, and Protagoras dialogues, the pretence is the knowledge of virtue, among other things. The Laches seeks a definition of arà ªte (virtue), the Meno examines the teaching of virtue, and the Protagoras offers a known expert the chance to defend that virtue can, indeed, be taught. UsingRead MorePlato And Aristotle s Political Situation2648 Words   |  11 Pageshigh-ranking class as his father acted as a physician to the Macedonian royal family, resulting in Aristotle’s access to an exceptional education through private tuition. In this way, Aristotle is similar to Plato, as he had the foundations of a brilliant education across a vast range of subjects and so, in 367 BCE, he was consequently sent to Athens to study philosophy with Plato. However, although Plato was his tutor, Aristotle did not agree with everything he was taught abo ut language theory. In