What is virtue? Could you define it? Some of the most tangled questions about virtue and knowledge were posed by Socrates, famous for his debate method (and for the comment that “the unexamined life is not worth living”). Join Forest Hansen, Ph.D and the Chesapeake Forum on April 19th for an examination of the nature of virtue using Plato’s The Meno as a guide.
Meno begins the dialogue by asking Socrates whether virtue is taught, acquired by practice, or comes by nature. In order to determine whether virtue is teachable or not, Socrates tells Meno that they first need to determine what virtue is.
This short dialogue provides a good introduction to Plato’s (and Socrates’) thinking. It will serve as helpful preparation for Plato’s longer, more challenging work, The Republic, which will be offered in the Fall 2023 semester.
The Meno is a work of philosophical fiction, based on real people who took part in important historical events. Plato wrote it probably about 385 B.C.E., and placed it dramatically in 402 B.C.E. Socrates was then about sixty-seven years old, and had long been famous for his difficult questions about virtue and knowledge.
The Meno is three (3) sessions, April 19th, 26th and May 3rd from 10 -11:30 am. ZOOM with course recording. $40. To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.
Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and address to [email protected]
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