The dialogues of Plato in five volumes, Vol. 2 (of 5) : $b Translated into English with analyses and introductions — Plato — John Shaqi
The dialogues of Plato in five volumes, Vol. 2 (of 5) : $b Translated into English with analyses and introductions
Plato · en
_Men._ Very true.
_Soc._ Then as he is not here, never mind him, and do you
tell me: By the gods, Meno, be generous, and tell me what
you say that virtue is; for I shall be truly delighted to find
that I have been mistaken, and that you and Gorgias do
really have this knowledge; although I have been just saying
that I have never found anybody who had.
[Sidenote: Meno describes the different kinds of virtue, but is unable to
give a common notion of them.]
_Men._ There will be no difficulty, Socrates, in answering
your question. Let us take first the virtue of a man—he
should know how to administer the state, and in the administration
of it to benefit his friends and harm his enemies;
and he must also be careful not to suffer harm himself.
A woman’s virtue, if you wish to know about that, may also
be easily described: her duty is to order her house, and
keep what is indoors, and obey her husband. Every age,
every condition of life, young or old, male or female, bond
or free, has a different virtue: there are virtues numberless, 72
and no lack of definitions of them; for virtue is relative
to the actions and ages of each of us in all that we do. And
the same may be said of vice, Socrates[3].
[Sidenote: _The nature of definition._]
[Sidenote: Meno, not without difficulty and by help of many
illustrations, is made to understand the nature of common notions.]
_Soc._ How fortunate I am, Meno! When I ask you for
one virtue, you present me with a swarm of them[4], which are
in your keeping. Suppose that I carry on the figure of the
swarm, and ask of you, What is the nature of the bee? and
you answer that there are many kinds of bees, and I reply:
But do bees differ as bees, because there are many and
different kinds of them; or are they not rather to be distinguished
by some other quality, as for example beauty, size,
or shape? How would you answer me?
_Men._ I should answer that bees do not differ from one
another, as bees.
_Soc._ And if I went on to say: That is what I desire to
know, Meno; tell me what is the quality in which they
do not differ, but are all alike;—would you be able to
answer?
_Men._ I should.
_Soc._ And so of the virtues, however many and different
they may be, they have all a common nature which makes
them virtues; and on this he who would answer the question,
‘What is virtue?’ would do well to have his eye fixed: Do
you understand?
_Men._ I am beginning to understand; but I do not as yet
take hold of the question as I could wish.
_Soc._ When you say, Meno, that there is one virtue of
a man, another of a woman, another of a child, and so on,
does this apply only to virtue, or would you say the same of
health, and size, and strength? Or is the nature of health
always the same, whether in man or woman?