Meno

A short Socratic dialogue in which Meno asks Socrates whether virtue can be taught, and the conversation instead exposes that neither man can say what virtue is. Along the way Socrates walks an untutored slave boy through a geometry problem to argue that learning is really recollection, and closes by distinguishing knowledge from mere true opinion.

Why it’s on the list: It opens the Classical Greek Political Philosophy section alongside the Apology and the Republic — the dialogues that establish the question of whether excellence is a teachable craft or a given, which is the question underneath every argument about education, hiring and talent.

Where I saw it: On Brendan McCord’s Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List, in the section on Classical Greek Political Philosophy, saved to Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note. The full 211-entry transcription lives on The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.

Connections

• Plato — the author.
• The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the list this came from.