Platonic Reminiscence: Analysis of Meno and Phaedo

Critique of the Theory of Platonic Reminiscence

Reminiscence in the Meno

After the exposition of Plato's religious-mystical theory of reminiscence, Socrates—the character Plato uses to explain this transitional theory—asks for a demonstration of its "truth," though he does not question its "utility."

Socrates' demonstration is not "brilliant" but "dialectic." We find the famous passage of Meno's slave, who, despite never having received instruction in geometry, is led by Socrates through a trial-and-error process to conclude that the diagonal of a square forms the side of a square double the area of the former. Therefore, that knowledge, not acquired during his life, was found "potentially" in his soul.

The Maieutic Procedure

The "maieutic" procedure of Socrates in the Meno is far from the true Socratic method reflected in Plato's early dialogues. In those works, Socrates sought the rigorous definition of a concept and, through ironic questioning, exposed the deficiencies in his interlocutor's definitions, leading them to acknowledge their own ignorance. This initiated a joint search, as Socrates did not possess the correct answer, often ending without fruit—as seen in the Greater Hippias, which concludes with Socrates remarking: "What a wonderful difficulty."

The Lecture in Meno and Phaedo

In the Meno, however, we witness a "lecture" cleverly masked. Perhaps for this reason, the dialogue finally recognizes the provisional nature of many points made, but insists on the usefulness of the theory of reminiscence to overcome Sophist skepticism.

In the Phaedo, during the second part of his first test of the immortality of the soul, Plato demonstrates his theory of reminiscence: men must possess knowledge of absolute norms and standards, as this knowledge is implicit in their comparisons and value judgments. In the absence of these "absolutes" in the sensible world, it is contemplated that the soul existed before its union with the body.

Synopsis of Universal Concepts

It is still possible to support the hypothesis that the universal concepts handled by humans are obtained by "abstraction" from experience. However, this is a hypothesis Plato did not provide for; otherwise, human knowledge would not be universal and necessary. Plato never doubted the human capacity to reach true knowledge, which remains the starting point and ultimate justification of his philosophy.