The Origins of Dialectic in Ordinary Discourse

History of Philosophy & Logical Analysis 19 (1):88-104 (2016)
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Abstract

The opening discussion of the Meno features a halting conversation in which Meno struggles at length to answer Socrates’ question, “What is Virtue?” Whereas Socrates demands a unitary account, presenting Virtue as one, Meno repeatedly speaks of Virtue in plurality. Through the opposing sides of this conflict, Plato highlights impediments that appear to prevent ordinary speakers from inquiring into nature. These include the fallibility of ordinary beliefs and statements, and the inability of ordinary speakers to countenance properties as entities in their own right. In an argument often overlooked by interpreters, Plato reveals commitments implicit in ordinary discourse by which these impediments are overcome. As this argument shows, ordinary speakers such as Meno take their own terms to speak univocally and truly about a plurality of items. This is sufficient basis to proceed in dialectic, and to inquire into nature, through language.

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Lee Franklin
Franklin and Marshall College

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References found in this work

Plato's Meno.Dominic Scott - 2006 - Cambridge University Press. Edited by Dominic Scott.
An examination of Plato's doctrines.I. M. Crombie - 1962 - New York,: Humanities Press.
Inquiry in the Meno.Gail Fine - 1992 - In Richard Kraut, The Cambridge Companion to Plato. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press. pp. 200-226.
Meno's Paradox and Socrates as a Teacher.Alexander Nehamas - 1985 - Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 3:1-30.

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