Meno 14

Socrates: Meno (w{ Me/nwn) … Now you must answer me (su\ de/ moi ei0pe/): are there not good and honourable men among your people also (ou0 kai\ par’ u9mi=n ei0si\ kaloi\ ka0gaqoi\ a1ndrej;)?

Meno: Certainly (Pa/nu ge).

Socrates: Well then (Ti/ ou]n;), are they willing to put themselves forward as teachers of the young (e0qe/lousin ou[toi pare/xein au9tou\j didaska/louj toi=j ne/oij), and avow that they are teachers (kai\ o9mologei=n dida/skaloi/ te ei]nai) and that virtue is to be taught (kai\ didakto\n a0reth/n;)?

Meno: No, no, Socrates, I assure you (Ou0 ma\ to\n Di/a, w} Sw&kratej): sometimes you may hear them refer to it as teachable (a0lla\ tote\ me\n a2n au0tw~n a0kou/saij w(j didakto/n), but sometimes as not (tote\ de\ w(j ou1).

Socrates: Then are we to call those persons teachers of this thing (Fw~men ou]n tou/touj didaska/louj ei]nai tou/tou tou= pra/gmatoj), when they do not even agree on that great question (oi[j mhde\ au0to\ tou=to o9mologei=tai;)?

Meno: I should say not, Socrates (Ou1 moi dokei=, w} Sw&kratej).

Socrates: Well, and what of the sophists (Ti/ de\ dh/; oi0 sofistai/ soi ou3toi)? Do you consider these, its only professors, to be teachers of virtue (oi[per mo/noi e0pagge/llontai, dokou=si dida/skaloi ei]nai a0reth=j;)?

Meno: That is a point, Socrates, for which I admire Gorgias (Kai\ Gorgi/ou ma/lista, w} Sw&kratej, tau=ta a1gamai): you will never hear him promising this (o3ti ou0k a1n pote au0tou= tou=to a0kou=saij u9pisxnoume/nou), and he ridicules the others (a0lla\ kai\ tw~n a1llwn katagela=|) when he hears them promising it (o3tan a0kou/sh| u9pisxnoune/nwn). Skill in speaking is what he takes it to be their business to produce (a0lla\ le/gein oi1etai dei=n poiei=n a0gaqou/j).

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Concerning Gorgias, Meno appears to have travelled a long journey, having entered the dialogue an enthusiastic follower of Gorgias; see e.g. Socrates’ remark at 73c: ‘Seeing then that it is the same virtue in all cases, try and tell me, if you can recollect, what Gorgias – and you in agreement with him – say it is.’