Page:The Meno of Plato (Anon, 1880).pdf/9

4 Meno, assisted by illustrative definitions of shape and colour; which attempts are frustrated by Meno's inveterate practice of mentioning particular virtues instead of giving a definition of virtue generally.

Ch. 14–21 explain and illustrate the theory of Socrates that all knowledge is but reminiscence of facts acquired by the soul in some previous existence.

Ch. 22–42 deal with the question originally propounded by Meno. 'Can Virtue be taught?' upon which Socrates enters with reluctance, being unwilling to postpone the question 'What is Virtue?' It is shown that Virtue can not be taught from the fact that there are no teachers of it, and the conclusion reached is that virtuous persons can give no account of their virtue or help others to acquire it, and that therefore virtue must be a gift from the gods.