Thursday, February 9, 2017
Characters and Conversation
Similar to Socrates' conversation with Euthyphro, Socrates is trying to define an abstract concept while talking with Meno; instead of piety, they are attempting to understand virtue. However, it seems clear that the tone of the conversation is different with Meno than it was with Euthyphro. Rather than intimidating and potentially offending Euthyphro's sense of knoweldge, Socrates seems to see more of an intellectual equal in Meno, and so their conversation is freer. I do not mean to imply that Socrates did take seriously what Euthyphro said--only that the conversation was halted in ways due to the naive character of Euthyphro. To that extant, I wonder how each conversation on the dialogues would be altered if they took place between different characters? Would Plato have written the same twists in conversation had he written the words for other characters? Moreover, could these conversations even have been conjured by Plato so as to have occurred between different people?
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I also picked up on the difference in tone between Socrates' interactions with Meno and Euthyphro--a testament, I think, to Socrates' appreciation of context and individual character. Perhaps if it is possible to teach virtue, Plato hints that it will require the kind of nuance and individual approach that Socrates demonstrates.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point.
DeleteI appreciate the comparison you've made between Euthyphro and Meno. I think that both dialogues attempt to help conceptualize difficult topics. Piety is a virtue. I've recently become accustomed to considering the individual themes of Plato's dialogues after reading them before I attempt to understand them. You bring up an interesting point on the importance of the characters.
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