Meno Vs. the Slave

Paper Summary:

This paper explains how the interaction between Socrates and Meno parallels that of the interaction between Socrates and the slave, thereby revealing the fundamental differences and similarities between Meno and the slave. With this comparison in mind, the paper then poses the following question: "Whose position would you rather be, Meno or the slave"?

From the Paper:

"As a free man and a member of the Athenian aristocracy, Meno certainly has more freedom and power than the slave. At least, it appears that way. Certainly, Meno can afford the opportunity to address Socrates and question him, since the dialogue itself opens with this very questioning. However, the slave does not possess this ability. The slave cannot address Socrates but must be addressed by him. In fact, the slave boy remains a poor nameless individual. The slave cannot question Socrates or disagree with him as Meno does. The slave merely responds to Socrates with monosyllabic answers to questions that have been addressed to him - yes, no, certainly, I think so, I do not think so, etc. Meno does, though, have this freedom of addressing Socrates and questioning him, even disagreeing with him (although we have to wonder whether being able to disagree with Socrates is such a good thing after all). "

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