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Plato in his Meno asks if virtue can be taught. and It turns out that Socrates does not think that virtue can be taught, he initial says he does not even know what virtue is.

In their discussion Meno asks Socrates...

Men. And how will you enquire, Socrates, into that which you do not know? What will you put forth as the subject of enquiry? And if you find what you want, how will you ever know that this is the thing which you did not know?

Socrates answer was a kinda of a joke I think. He explained how our souls are reborn with knowledge which they recollect from previous lives. I think Plato's intent was to suggest that there are certain innate ideas in us, virtue being of this sort. The key lies in recollection, which Socrates then demonstrates with the assistance of a slave boy.

So do you think virtue can be taught?

cava 7 June 18
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7 comments

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0

If they cannot be learned then there is little hope for the human race.

Patience / forbearance for example can certainly be learned, assuming you understand the value in them and are willing to put in the effort to attain greater levels of same. It's easier to see the value if the surrounding society and culture have elevated views of those things. So it's both an individual and collective evolution that raises certain things to even be classified as "virtuous".

Our collective understanding of human freedom was more primitive and incomplete 200 years ago, and its evolution toward something more modern is what brought about the end of human slavery, child labor, and other evils. At first we had the concept of individual liberty and the right to pursue happiness -- but for white and mostly wealthy individuals and mostly for men -- then we learned to apply them to all people more equally, etc. These are all evolutions of social consciousness, based on taught virtue.

Now ... it's true that some people seem born sociopaths and others born saints, I'm not denying that virtue falls on fallow ground sometimes. And so far as we know at this time, some of that fallow ground can't be rehabilitated. But the fact remains that we are all individually and collectively learning about the great virtues over time, some individual exceptions and outliers notwithstanding.

0

Behaviors can be taught.

JacarC Level 8 June 19, 2018
2

Morality, virtue, compassion, empathy, honesty, conscience. None of those things can be taught.

I'd go further and say that even art can't be taught.

2

Of what virtue does one own slaves?

It was 2400 years ago and slavery was the norm. One city concurred another and they took slaves, it was not the same as New World slavery.

2

From experience, I don't think it can be taught

Yes, I agree. I think we must find virtue for our self.

@cava I'm glad I met someone else who read Plato. I was in agreement with the Republic until he recommended communal orgies in darkness so that parents won't know who their children are and can't perform nepotism. He divined some truths with reason, without experience.

2

Yes, I do. I think I was taught.

Deb57 Level 8 June 18, 2018

Deb, I think Plato thought that there is a method to learning virtue, the method varying according to the virtue involved. The teacher can't teach courage, but it can enable students to find courage within themself.

@cava : The teacher can teach what virtue is and teach the benefits of having virtue.

@dare2dream

Do you think you can know how it is to ride a bike from a book, or doesn't it take getting up on it to know what it means to ride a bike?

@cava : I think that's a false equivalency. Some things we need to do to learn and some things can be taught.

I think I see two schools of thought here. Some people need to learn from their mistakes and some people can learn from seeing other's.

1

Oh yeah... check out Dorothy and how she was taught 4 virtues.

Do you think she had to go to Oz to learn them? Or perhaps it was just a very vivid dream and she had them all along. Weren't there 5 virtues.

@cava i believe your right. Lol... im sure she read it somewhere to piece it all together in a dream. You know brother... i have had some dreams that left me dazzled on how the brain can put it all together to tell that story in front of my mind to figure it all out.

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