Plato's Meno

Abstract

HE Meno is pronounced a little gem by John Stuart Mill and is thought by many critics, ancient and modern, to be the best introduction to the study of Plato. One eminent scholar chooses to fancy that it is the program of the Academy. Thus Professor Shorey introduces his brief remlarks of five pages on the Meno in What Plato Said,' The only Platonists of note to cast serious aspersions on the authenticity of the dialogue were Friedrich Ast anid Schaarschmidt, who in the nineteenth century regarded the Meno as unworthy of Plato.z Should anyone be tempted to concur with Ast and Schaarschmidt, he should reflect on Aristotle's indirect reference to the Meno in his Politics and the direct references in his Prior Analytics and Posterior Analytics.3 The terminus ante quem for the dramatic date of the dialogue is probably shortly before March 401 B.C., when Meno joined Cyrus the Younger's expedition at Colossae.4 Since Xenophon describes Meno as ?`rt Wpcxto0 xv while he served under Cyrus,5 the meeting apparently could have taken place when Meno was en route to Asia Minor. A reference to Ismenias of Thebes, however, may appear to complicate the matter. The Meno (goA) states: . .. G)=eP O VUiV vecocrl ?1cpJ9 ro VloAxpcaTou4 Zpi%tonxt 'IavLgq 'o Rnpa_Zt04.. In the Republic (3 36A) we read: OT:lL ocU&o H?pLvA8pou ElVtct F HspgLxxou i ECpiou T 'IavvLou 'ro5