meno   

regard it as a thing to be taught, or as a gift of nature, or as

coming to men in some other way?

Soc. Had I the command of you as well as of myself, Meno, I would

not have enquired whether virtue is given by instruction or not, until

we had first ascertained "what it is." But as you think only of

controlling me who am your slave, and never of controlling

yourself,-such being your notion of freedom, I must yield to you,

for you are irresistible. And therefore I have now to enquire into the

qualities of a thing of which I do not as yet know the nature. At

any rate, will you condescend a little, and allow the question

"Whether virtue is given by instruction, or in any other way," to be

argued upon hypothesis? As the geometrician, when he is asked

whether a certain triangle is capable being inscribed in a certain

circle, will reply: "I cannot tell you as yet; but I will offer a

hypothesis which may assist us in forming a conclusion: If the

figure be such that when you have produced a given side of it, the

given area of the triangle falls short by an area corresponding to the

part produced, then one consequence follows, and if this is impossible

then some other; and therefore I wish to assume a hypothesis before

I tell you whether this triangle is capable of being inscribed in

the circle":-that is a geometrical hypothesis. And we too, as we

know not the nature and -qualities of virtue, must ask, whether virtue

is or not taught, under a hypothesis: as thus, if virtue is of such

a class of mental goods, will it be taught or not? Let the first

hypothesis be-that virtue is or is not knowledge,-in that case will it

be taught or not? or, as we were just now saying, remembered"? For

there is no use in disputing about the name. But is virtue taught or

not? or rather, does not everyone see that knowledge alone is taught?

Men. I agree.

Soc. Then if virtue is knowledge, virtue will be taught?

Men. Certainly.

Soc. Then now we have made a quick end of this question: if virtue