Dialogue

  1  Meno|      that the honourable is the good,’ and as every one equally
  2  Meno|         one equally desires the good, the point of the definition
  3  Meno|         is the power of getting good with justice.’ But justice
  4  Meno|        virtue is the getting of good with a part of virtue. The
  5  Meno|        showing that virtue is a good, and that goods, whether
  6  Meno|       for practical purposes as good as knowledge, but is incapable
  7  Meno|        shoemaking who was not a good shoemaker; or (3) the remark
  8  Meno|        have been clever men and good speakers, are denounced
  9  Meno|         into the single idea of good, and subordinated to it.
 10  Meno|      the world. And the idea of good (Republic) may without violence
 11  Meno|      Being, who ‘because He was good’ created all things (Tim.).~
 12  Meno|    especially about the Idea of Good; and that they are not peculiar
 13  Meno|      which men did and suffered good and evil, and received the
 14  Meno|      unity which is the idea of good and the cause of all the
 15  Meno| maintained as ever. The IDEA of good likewise disappears and
 16  Meno| existence of God or the idea of good which he approaches in a
 17  Meno|    rather in the single idea of good. His followers, and perhaps
 18  Meno|         that knowledge alone is good, and what contributes to
 19  Meno|         or the Platonic idea of good. Many of the old rags and
 20  Meno|      Stranger, you have far too good an opinion of me, if you
 21  Meno|          SOCRATES: I have not a good memory, Meno, and therefore
 22  Meno|        women, if they are to be good men and women, must have
 23  Meno|    young man or an elder one be good, if they are intemperate
 24  Meno|      SOCRATES: Then all men are good in the same way, and by
 25  Meno|      surely would not have been good in the same way, unless
 26  Meno|        try; the attempt will be good practice with a view to
 27  Meno|        to give you very many as good: and now, in your turn,
 28  Meno|      honourable also desire the good?~MENO: Certainly.~SOCRATES:
 29  Meno|       and others who desire the good? Do not all men, my dear
 30  Meno|        men, my dear sir, desire good?~MENO: I think not.~SOCRATES:
 31  Meno|        which they desire, to be good; or do they know that they
 32  Meno|    think that the evils will do good to him who possesses them,
 33  Meno|     that the evils will do them good, and others who know that
 34  Meno|    think that they will do them good know that they are evils?~
 35  Meno|   desire and power of attaining good?~MENO: Yes, I did say so.~
 36  Meno|    affirmed, then the desire of good is common to all, and one
 37  Meno|        than another in desiring good, he must be better in the
 38  Meno|       be the power of attaining good?~MENO: I entirely approve,
 39  Meno|         the mere acquisition of good will not be virtue.~MENO:
 40  Meno|       is the power of attaining good justly, or with justice;
 41  Meno|        to many persons—and very good ones they were, as I thought—
 42  Meno|       line?~BOY: Yes.~SOCRATES: Good; and is not a space of eight
 43  Meno|        think so.~SOCRATES: Very good; I like to hear you say
 44  Meno|        vacant corner?~BOY: Very good.~SOCRATES: Here, then, there
 45  Meno|       immortal. Wherefore be of good cheer, and try to recollect
 46  Meno|        not say that virtue is a good?—This is a hypothesis which
 47  Meno|         if there be any sort of good which is distinct from knowledge,
 48  Meno|   knowledge, virtue may be that good; but if knowledge embraces
 49  Meno|       if knowledge embraces all good, then we shall be right
 50  Meno|   SOCRATES: And virtue makes us good?~MENO: Yes.~SOCRATES: And
 51  Meno|         SOCRATES: And if we are good, then we are profitable;
 52  Meno|         are profitable; for all good things are profitable?~MENO:
 53  Meno|         that they are sometimes good and sometimes evil, do not
 54  Meno|       wisdom, if they are to be good; and so wisdom is inferred
 55  Meno|       if this is true, then the good are not by nature good?~
 56  Meno|      the good are not by nature good?~MENO: I think not.~SOCRATES:
 57  Meno|       way.~SOCRATES: But if the good are not by nature good,
 58  Meno|      the good are not by nature good, are they made good by instruction?~
 59  Meno|      nature good, are they made good by instruction?~MENO: There
 60  Meno|       son of his has received a good education, as the Athenian
 61  Meno|       If we wanted Meno to be a good physician, to whom should
 62  Meno|        if we wanted him to be a good cobbler, should we not send
 63  Meno|   ignorance too.~SOCRATES: Very good. And now you are in a position
 64  Meno|    citizens and strangers, as a good man should. Now, to whom
 65  Meno|         they know how to do men good, do you mean to say that
 66  Meno|         who not only do them no good, but positively corrupt
 67  Meno|   during all that time he had a good reputation, which to this
 68  Meno|         know whether a thing is good or bad of which you are
 69  Meno|      mind him, will do far more good to him than the Sophists.~
 70  Meno|        Have there not been many good men in this city?~SOCRATES:
 71  Meno|     certainly, Anytus; and many good statesmen also there always
 72  Meno|       is whether they were also good teachers of their own virtue;—
 73  Meno|        there are, or have been, good men in this part of the
 74  Meno|         we mean to say that the good men of our own and of other
 75  Meno|         that Themistocles was a good man?~ANYTUS: Certainly;
 76  Meno|         not he then have been a good teacher, if any man ever
 77  Meno|  teacher, if any man ever was a good teacher, of his own virtue?~
 78  Meno|   desired to make his own son a good man and a gentleman; he
 79  Meno|     Themistocles, was a wise or good man, as his father was?~
 80  Meno|       acknowledge that he was a good man?~ANYTUS: To be sure
 81  Meno|      and had he no wish to make good men of them? Nay, he must
 82  Meno|     whom, besides giving them a good education in other things,
 83  Meno|    would have taught them to be good men, which would have cost
 84  Meno|   foreigner who would have made good men of his sons, if he could
 85  Meno|        men harm than to do them good, and this is certainly the
 86  Meno| agreeable to them; for from the good you will learn what is good,
 87  Meno|     good you will learn what is good, but if you mix with the
 88  Meno|      bad son have sprung from a good sire, for he would have
 89  Meno|      ever make a bad man into a good one.’~And this, as you may
 90  Meno|     Socrates, that there are no good men: And if there are, how
 91  Meno|          that you and I are not good for much, and that Gorgias
 92  Meno|         remarked that right and good action is possible to man
 93  Meno|     seeing how there can be any good men at all.~MENO: How do
 94  Meno| Socrates?~SOCRATES: I mean that good men are necessarily useful
 95  Meno|     said that a man cannot be a good guide unless he have knowledge (
 96  Meno|     would he not be a right and good guide?~MENO: Certainly.~
 97  Meno|        did not know, might be a good guide also, might he not?~
 98  Meno|       knows, he will be just as good a guide if he thinks the
 99  Meno|         Then true opinion is as good a guide to correct action
100  Meno|        SOCRATES: And surely the good man has been acknowledged
101  Meno|     Seeing then that men become good and useful to states, not
102  Meno|         nature, neither are the good by nature good?~MENO: Certainly
103  Meno|  neither are the good by nature good?~MENO: Certainly not.~SOCRATES:
104  Meno|       we admitted that it was a good?~MENO: Yes.~SOCRATES: And
105  Meno|       right guide is useful and good?~MENO: Certainly.~SOCRATES:
106  Meno|      not.~SOCRATES: Then of two good and useful things, one,
107  Meno|       the women too, Meno, call good men divine—do they not?
108  Meno|    Spartans, when they praise a good man, say ‘that he is a divine
109  Meno|         him, you will have done good service to the Athenian