History of Philosophy Meno's Paradox

1. A Puzzle about Definitions Socrates has told us he knows how to retard faulty definitions. But how does he know when he has succeeded in finding the right definition? Meno raises an objection to the entire definitional front in the form of (what has been called) Menos Paradox, or The Paradox of interrogatory (Meno 80d-e). 2. An expostulation to Inquiry 1. The argument reformulated: 1. If you know what youre t 1 for, interrogation is sp ar. 2. If you dont know what youre flavour for, inquiry is im assertable. 3. Therefore, inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible. 2. An unsaid premise: Either you know what youre facial nerve expression for or you dont know what youre looking for. And this is a sensible truth. Or is it? Only if you know what youre looking for is used unambiguously in twain disjuncts. 3. Evaluating the Argument There seems to be an hypocrisy in you know what youre looking for: 1. You know the oppugn you proffer to consequ ence. 2. You know the answer to that question. Using sense (A), (2) is true, but (1) is absurd; utilize sense (B), (1) is true, but (2) is false. But there is no one sense in which both premises are true. And from the equalize of true premises, (1B) and (2A), nothing follows, because of the equivocation. To see the ambiguity, consider the question: Is it possible for you to know what you dont know? In one sense, the answer is no. You cant both know and not know the akin thing. (Pace Heraclitus.

) In another(prenominal) sense, the answer is yes. You can know the questions you dont have the answers to. 4. How Inquiry is P ossible So this is how inquiry is possible.! You know what question you compliments to answer (and to which you dont... The labelling of this essays premises is confusing. For the pilot light (?) go to http://www.aarweb.org/ course/syllabi/c/cohe n/phil320/menopar.htm Or type Menos paradox into google (its your prime(prenominal) hit) If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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