In the Socratic dialogue Meno, Plato recounts a conversation between Socrates and Meno in which Meno questions the fundamental nature of knowledge. It begins with Meno inquiring of Socrates whether virtue can be taught, if it is acquired by practice, or if it is within man’s nature to be virtuous. Socrates, who confesses that he does not know the meaning of the word, asks Meno for the definition of virtue. Perplexed by Socrates’ ignorance, Meno attempts to provide a formal definition, but is incapable of defining the word without using various forms of the word itself or other words that require further explanation. He ultimately admits that he, too, is ignorant of the word’s definition. Socrates then informs Meno that in order to assess the origin of man’s virtuousness, they must first examine and seek together the true meaning of virtue, to which Meno replies:
“How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know?” (Plato, 380 B.C.E.)
The argument that Meno asserts is indeed a valid one. If you have the information, then there is no need for you to ask for the information. If you do not have the information, then you do not know that there is information to ask for. Either there is no need to ask, or you do not know to ask, thereby rendering inquiry and learning impossibilities. Simply put, if I had never before seen a fly, and no one had ever described to me what a fly looked like, I would not be able to identify one if it were crawling around on my expensive lobster dinner. Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers of all-time, recognized that Meno’s argument was substantial. However, if we fast-forward two-and-a-half millennia, it is evident that the acquisition of knowledge and new information are far from impossible. We are ever close to answering questions much more complicated than the meaning of virtue.
So what exactly is the fundamental nature of knowledge? What provides us with questions? What was it that made John Tyndall wonder why the sky is blue? What made Sir Isaac Newton wonder about the external force that the Sun exerts on our planet? What, still in the 21st century, drives us to question the existence of a higher power? There must be some catalyst by which our ignorance is transformed into inquisitiveness. This is the gift that Socrates wished to use in order to gain an understanding of virtue and its true meaning: curiosity.
Curiosity is defined as the disposition to inquire, investigate, or seek after knowledge. It is a desire experienced by both animals and humans. Cats, synonymous with exploratory behavior, are famous for turning over flower pots in an attempt to uncover their contents. The curiosity of these animals is confined to the present time and to objects of approximately equal size. Human curiosity, on the other hand, spans from the very large (such as the study of the formation and existence of the galaxies) to the very minute (such as the study of our cells and their composition). This difference is most likely influenced by our increased brain capacity.
“How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know?” (Plato, 380 B.C.E.)
The argument that Meno asserts is indeed a valid one. If you have the information, then there is no need for you to ask for the information. If you do not have the information, then you do not know that there is information to ask for. Either there is no need to ask, or you do not know to ask, thereby rendering inquiry and learning impossibilities. Simply put, if I had never before seen a fly, and no one had ever described to me what a fly looked like, I would not be able to identify one if it were crawling around on my expensive lobster dinner. Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers of all-time, recognized that Meno’s argument was substantial. However, if we fast-forward two-and-a-half millennia, it is evident that the acquisition of knowledge and new information are far from impossible. We are ever close to answering questions much more complicated than the meaning of virtue.
So what exactly is the fundamental nature of knowledge? What provides us with questions? What was it that made John Tyndall wonder why the sky is blue? What made Sir Isaac Newton wonder about the external force that the Sun exerts on our planet? What, still in the 21st century, drives us to question the existence of a higher power? There must be some catalyst by which our ignorance is transformed into inquisitiveness. This is the gift that Socrates wished to use in order to gain an understanding of virtue and its true meaning: curiosity.
Curiosity is defined as the disposition to inquire, investigate, or seek after knowledge. It is a desire experienced by both animals and humans. Cats, synonymous with exploratory behavior, are famous for turning over flower pots in an attempt to uncover their contents. The curiosity of these animals is confined to the present time and to objects of approximately equal size. Human curiosity, on the other hand, spans from the very large (such as the study of the formation and existence of the galaxies) to the very minute (such as the study of our cells and their composition). This difference is most likely influenced by our increased brain capacity.
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