"These opinions have just been stirred up like a dream, but if he were repeatedly asked about these same things in various ways, you know that in the end his knowledge about these things would be as accurate as anyone's"
Socrates and Meno are discussing about common knowledge. This kind of knowledge is the same for people who share common experience. This inference, for a macro-perspective, implies that a common knowledge exists for all humanity. Why? All humanity, as they belong to this group at all, share common experiences, for example, physical traits. All of humanity have the same number of eyes, ears, therefore, senses, breathes oxygen, has a mother and father, procreates, ages, and dies. And therefore, even if two people have not met, they will ultimately share common concepts and ideas. And therefore goes the discussion of Socrates and Menos.
Prior to the quote, Socrates’ question are mathematical. Mathematical concepts are concise and fixed. To a question, there will be only one answer. To know the basic premises of the subject, such as names of the shapes, concept of area, or units of measurement, is to have the capacity or have knowledge to answer the questions regarding the subject. Having the common knowledge, which is inevitable to all human beings with their senses intact, will have the capacity of “opinion” to any unvoiced questions regarding the subject.
So through the quote backwards, his knowledge regarding a common enough a subject will be as accurate as anyone’s which can be verified by repeated questions. His answers, or his opinions, though, already exist in his mind even before being questioned, which is the point of fascination to the philosophers. This is so because of the common knowledge or virtue, people with common experiences share.
Works Cited
Plato. Five Dialogues. Boston. Hackett Publishing Company. 2002. 2nd Ed.
