On the Ending of Plato’s Meno, or What the *#&%$ Socrates
January 4, 12:15pm
When readers finally reach the end of Plato’s Meno, they often have the reaction stated in the title to this talk. After working through Socrates’ dogged investigation of Virtue with the less-thanreceptive Meno, the ending of the dialogue can feel frustrating, facile, and even like a downright cop-out. However, just as the solution to the geometry problem within the dialogue results from looking at the problem in a new way, changing our perspective on the end of the dialogue may help us arrive at a more satisfying conclusion.
Presented by:
Zoë Eisenman is the current chair of the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults. She holds an MA in classics from University of Chicago. Her main academic focus is on Greek and Roman philosophy, Classical cultural history, and gender studies.
