The theory of recollection is illustrated by Plato in a dialogue format between Socrates and an inquisitive student / slave Meno. The key idea highlighted in the Socrates' dialogue was knowledge is innate and is reminded to the soul through search or arduous inquiry. According to Socrates, all knowledge is known from previous experience, and we already know everything. He argued that from birth all knowledge is present with the soul; the person recalls or identifies the facts from memory when the person is exposed to the phenomenon. The view point of recognizing the knowledge is considered as the theory of recollection.
The dialogue began when Socrates pondered about the true definition of virtue. Meno, the intelligent student was curious to know whether virtue can be taught. Instead of asking the question directly, Meno presented the issue with a paradox; ‘how can we search for a particular knowledge when we do not know what it is?’ In such a condition how do we know even what to look for? Meno also presents the corollary of the previous question. He stated that it is futile to search for something that is already known, since the knowledge is already present. Socrates’ replied to the paradoxical statement by Meno, which became as the theory of recollection. At a philosophical level, the theory is still valid, and provides insights for producing newer schools of thought.
Socrates’ answer to Meno
Socrates stated that Knowledge is innate, and the knowledge that we gain through learning is really a recollection of facts once known us, but somehow forgotten. To prove his point, Socrates gave Meno a geometrical problem, for which the boy gave wrong answers. When Socrates gave clues and options to him, Meno figured out the answer by himself and did not rely on the authority of Socrates. All humans have the capacity to find answers, because we have knowledge, but only forgotten.
Arguments for immortality of souls
Socrates offers four arguments on behalf of the immortality of the soul.
- Since soul gives life, it does not or cannot die. On the other hand the body is mortal and physical death occurs to it. The soul must then be eternal.
- The Theory of Recollection proposes that we all possess knowledge at birth itself, which indicates that the soul existed even before birth and carry non-empirical knowledge.
- There are two kinds of existence, one is immortal, non-material and invisible, the other is mortal, matter and visible. The former is soul and the latter is body.
- All things in the world interact in forms. For example, hard things participate in the form of rocks, etc. Similarly soul participated in the form of life, hence it doesn’t have death.
Conclusion
As per the theory of recollection, inquiry or search for knowledge is a process of recognising or remembering what we already knew. We search not because we do not know, but because we have forgotten what we once knew. For possessing the knowledge, there must an agent. The agent is the soul, which is immortal, eternal and invisible. The purpose of inquiry therefore is to regain the forgotten knowledge or true Knowledge. For attaining immortality is to think beyond the body or overcome it. The explanation provided by Socrates is plausible and gives a basis for developing further philosophical standpoints.
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