Dialogue

 1  Meno|  Socrates. This is the nature of right opinion. For virtue may
 2  Meno|         be under the guidance of right opinion as well as of knowledge;
 3  Meno|        well as of knowledge; and right opinion is for practical
 4  Meno|         education,’ there may be right opinion, which is a sort
 5  Meno|     recognizes the lower form of right opinion, as well as the
 6  Meno|     profession of knowledge, but right opinion is our actual guide.
 7  Meno|         admitted to be possible. Right opinion is again introduced
 8  Meno|          action and no place for right and wrong. Individuality
 9  Meno|       other figures.~MENO: Quite right; and that is just what I
10  Meno|       for very likely you may be right:—You affirm virtue to be
11  Meno|      Socrates; and we were quite right in doing so.~SOCRATES: But
12  Meno|         What is virtue? Am I not right?~MENO: I believe that you
13  Meno|       all good, then we shall be right in thinking that virtue
14  Meno|         that would have been the right way.~SOCRATES: But if the
15  Meno|    thought just now that we were right.~SOCRATES: Yes, Meno; but
16  Meno|         we say that we should be right in sending him to the physicians
17  Meno|        we mean that we should be right in sending him to those
18  Meno|        reasons, should we not be right in sending him?~ANYTUS:
19  Meno|          I dare say that you are right. And now I wish that you,
20  Meno|      taught?~MENO: Not if we are right in our view. But I cannot
21  Meno|         none of us remarked that right and good action is possible
22  Meno|          profitable. Were we not right in admitting this? It must
23  Meno|        action—there we were also right?~MENO: Yes.~SOCRATES: But
24  Meno|         do you mean by the word ‘right’?~SOCRATES: I will explain.
25  Meno|       thither, would he not be a right and good guide?~MENO: Certainly.~
26  Meno|           And a person who had a right opinion about the way, but
27  Meno|   knowledge only is the guide of right action; whereas there is
28  Meno|    action; whereas there is also right opinion.~MENO: True.~SOCRATES:
29  Meno|       MENO: True.~SOCRATES: Then right opinion is not less useful
30  Meno|         knowledge will always be right; but he who has right opinion
31  Meno|         be right; but he who has right opinion will sometimes be
32  Meno|        opinion will sometimes be right, and sometimes not.~SOCRATES:
33  Meno|          Can he be wrong who has right opinion, so long as he has
34  Meno|       opinion, so long as he has right opinion?~MENO: I admit the
35  Meno| knowledge should be preferred to right opinion—or why they should
36  Meno|      Socrates; and you are quite right in saying so.~SOCRATES:
37  Meno|      SOCRATES: And am I not also right in saying that true opinion
38  Meno|        Socrates, I think you are right.~SOCRATES: Then right opinion
39  Meno|        are right.~SOCRATES: Then right opinion is not a whit inferior
40  Meno|           nor is the man who has right opinion inferior to him
41  Meno| knowledge, but because they have right opinion, and that neither
42  Meno|       that neither knowledge nor right opinion is given to man
43  Meno|           Yes.~SOCRATES: And the right guide is useful and good?~
44  Meno|           SOCRATES: And the only right guides are knowledge and
45  Meno|       must have guided states by right opinion, which is in politics
46  Meno|  SOCRATES: Then we shall also be right in calling divine those
47  Meno|          Socrates, that they are right; although very likely our
48  Meno|          to be, if we are at all right in our view, that virtue