A Comparison Between Plato And Meno

In Meno, Socrates has a conversation about virtue with a man in the aristocracy. Meno, the aristocrat, first describes virtue as selfish things before he mentions anything considerate. Meno is shown to believe the greatest thing in life is superiority, until later Socrates convinces him otherwise. This conversation connects with the Peloponnesian War, because the war also showed people being greedy over sympathetic. Both of the texts show that the Greeks cherished victory. It was the natural state of people in Ancient Greece to favor success over compassion, as shown through Greek history and philosophy. Success in Grecian society was prized and considered a mark of absolute greatness. While Socrates and Meno discuss what virtue is, one of

In Meno, the virtue of a woman is described as giving herself to others (Meno 71e). However, though these are kindhearted acts, they are considered to be things that women should do anyway. Women are expected to dedicate themselves to others, and in turn, their success is based on how submissive they are. Women are compassionate because compassion is their measurement of victory, according to society. This is also shown in Grecian times of war, when women are expected to cry over the dead (Thucydides 2.34.4). The mourning process is turned into a duty, rather than an actual time of grief. People could also argue that the lack of thought around empathy is because of a war, not the society. However, the lack of thought around compassion during a time continued past the theme of war. Socrates, at home in Athens, never mentioned the war, and Meno still forgets about sympathy as a virtue. Perhaps the war shaped the Greeks, and caused them to become more success-minded. However, this argument still shows a mindset of “accomplishment over compassion” for Greeks. Overall, as much as Grecian society might value consideration, success will always be at the forefront of their

The Peloponnesian war shows how Greeks favored success over compassion through rioting, taking over lands, and fighting in general. Everything, from the way the war started to what was given up, shows that the Greeks had nothing on their minds except power and superiority. A normal conversation between Socrates and Meno also showed great support for accomplishment. Virtue, instead of overall goodness, is materialistic and greedy in the eyes of many Greeks. While the Greeks may have cherished compassion, they show to put much more importance on