In this presentation, Roger guides us through Plato's Meno, the dialogue that introduces one of philosophy's most enduring questions: can virtue be taught? Weir reveals how Socrates leads the confident but intellectually rigid Meno through a process of productive confusion—famously comparing himself to a stingray that numbs those it touches—until Meno's borrowed certainties give way to genuine perplexity, the necessary first step toward real learning. Through the demonstration with Meno's slave boy, Socrates unveils his theory that all learning is recollection, that the immortal soul already possesses the truth within itself and simply needs to be awakened rather than instructed. Touching on themes of true experience versus rote opinion, the courage required to admit ignorance, and the soul's capacity to recognize eternal truths it has always known, this lecture illuminates why virtue, in the end, comes not through nature or teaching, but as a kind of divine gift to those who seek it honestly.

This presentation by Roger Weir was originally delivered on January 25, 1990.

More information about these presentations can be found at
https://sharedpresencefoundation.org/presentations/plato
https://sharedpresencefoundation.org/presentations/platos-theory-of-education
https://sharedpresencefoundation.org/presentations/plato-ii

More presentations by Roger Weir are available at the Shared Presence Foundation website and on our YouTube channel