Meno

Plato's Meno: An Interpretation/is a comprehensive study of the transitional dialogue dedicated to the investigation of virtue. Cristina Ionescu analyzes with approximately equal emphasis both the dramatic details and the logic of the arguments. By focusing on the interrelated themes that run through the text, Ionescu provides a comprehensive overview of the dialogue and a refreshing update of its argument. The theme of the Meno is the investigation of virtue with regard to both its essence and our possibility of acquiring it, whether we acquire virtue by nature, teaching, practice, or in some other way. As the nature of the theoretical investigation itself is made into a direct concern of the dialogue, and since the essence of virtue is closely associated with knowledge, the dialogue has both a moral and an epistemological dimension. The interwoven treatment of virtue and knowledge throughout the Meno enlarges the scope of interest to cover also several related themes: the immortality of the soul, the relationship between craft-like expertise and moral wisdom, the relationship between divine inspiration and virtue, the contrast between dialectical conversations and eristic disputes, and the importance of following appropriate methods in philosophical investigations. By examining these related ideas with clarity, Ionescu provides an invaluable guide to the dialogue. Plato's Meno: An Interpretation is an excellent book for readers of Plato at all levels: undergraduates, graduates, and specialists.

In one volume, this book brings together a new English translation of Plato's Meno, a selection of illuminating articles on themes in the dialogue published between 1965 and 1985 and an introduction setting the Meno in its historical context and opening up the key philosophical issues which the various articles discuss. A glossary is provided which briefly introduces some of the key terms and indicates how they are translated. The Meno is an excellent introduction to Plato and philosophy.

Given its brevity, Plato's Meno covers an astonishingly wide array of topics: politics, education, virtue, definition, philosophical method, mathematics, the nature and acquisition of knowledge and immortality. Its treatment of these, though profound, is tantalisingly short, leaving the reader with many unresolved questions. This book confronts the dialogue's many enigmas and attempts to solve them in a way that is both lucid and sympathetic to Plato's philosophy. Reading the dialogue as a whole, it explains how different arguments are related to one another and how the interplay between characters is connected to the philosophical content of the work. In a new departure, this book's exploration focuses primarily on the content and coherence of the dialogue in its own right and not merely in the context of other dialogues, making it required reading for all students of Plato, be they from the world of classics or philosophy.

The Meno, one of the most widely read of the Platonic dialogues, is seen afresh in this original interpretation that explores the dialogue as a theatrical presentation. Just as Socrates's listeners would have questioned and examined their own thinking in response to the presentation, so, Klein shows, should modern readers become involved in the drama of the dialogue. Klein offers a line-by-line commentary on the text of the Meno itself that animates the characters and conversation and carefully probes each significant turn of the argument. "A major addition to the literature on the Meno and necessary reading for every student of the dialogue."—Alexander Seasonske, Philosophical Review "There exists no other commentary on Meno which is so thorough, sound, and enlightening."—Choice Jacob Klein (1899-1978) was a student of Martin Heidegger and a tutor at St. John's College from 1937 until his death. His other works include Plato's Trilogy: Theaetetus, the Sophist, and the Statesman, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

This edition of Plato's Meno has extensive preliminary chapters designed to truly enhance the reader's engagement with this ancient text.