ABSTRACT
The problem of understanding the relation between nature and nurture, what constitutes good evidence of how this relation should be understood, and the implications of accepting (or rejecting) this evidence in daily life have been around for centuries. In the dialogue Meno, Plato describes Socrates’ discussion with his protagonist of the same name on the nature of virtue. In pursuit of carrying out “a joint investigation and inquiry into what [virtue] is,” they are faced with a characteristically Socratic paradox: namely, how can they learn (“try to discover”) what they do not know if they do not know what it is for which they are looking? To lead them out of the paradox, Socrates proposes that they posit an immortal soul which has learned everything that is. Mortal learning occurs when a man “recalls” some of this knowledge, and, in general, “seeking and learning are in fact nothing but recollection” (p. 364). Consequently, the inquiry into the nature of virtue becomes an attempt to “recall” the nature of virtue. But Meno finds it difficult to accept this tendency to diminish the role of experience, teaching, and learning and to consider such knowledge as a priori in some sense:
(MENO) I see, Socrates. But what do you mean when you say that we don’t learn anything, … that what we call learning is recollection? Can you teach me that it is so? (p. 364)
