Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
Introduction
The theory of recollection was derived by Plato about Socrates. According to this theory, a person is born knowing everything and they dont necessarily need to be taught for them to obtain knowledge. This is based on the beliefs of Socrates whereby a soul is believed to be immortal, it is hence born again and again and possesses all knowledge about the outer and underworld things. What happens is that a person is reminded of what they knew before. As a confirmation to this, a relation is made on Menos paradox which states that a man can not be taught anything since they are all-knowing. In this paper, we will focus on how the theory is approved or disapproved.
Socrates elenchus and Menos slave Theory of Recollection
Socrates carried on an experiment to prove that his theory of recollection was true. In this simple experiment, he used a square diagram that measures two centimeters on the sides. He explained to the boy that the square diagram would give a total area of four square centimeters and asked him which measurements would give double the area, i.e. eight square centimeters. After some time of reasoning, the boy confidently said that the measurements of the squares will also have to be doubled i.e. to be four centimeters each. After rethinking again about the answer that he gave and discovering that it was wrong, he was agitated. Socrates hence justified his theory that the boy automatically knew without necessarily being told that the answer he had given was wrong. This is an implication that he had some knowledge about the answer without necessarily being told and only needed to be guided through the correct procedure of affirming what he knew. Looking at the argument, it may not necessarily mean that the boy had not had prior knowledge of the same. The reason that made the boy rethink the answer that he gave was probably that he did a quick calculation that disapproved the same.
The fact that we were not told about whether the boy had had some previous mathematical knowledge that enabled him to do some arithmetic leaves us with the assumption that he had some knowledge of the same. It may not be conclusive to say it was the knowledge that he knew way before he was a human being but the knowledge he acquired in school. However, science tells us that a person is born with a brain that develops as they grow up. They are certain things that a person doesnt need to be taught. For instance, nobody teaches a child to cry when it is born. It becomes automatic that when the baby notices the environmental changes, they feel uncomfortable and start to cry. However, what Socrates is implying here may not necessarily be the common sense aspect of the human mind that reacts to the situations around but rather the technical things that have to be learned. The argument could only be proved if Socrates was talking about occurrences that are motivated by the external sensual environment.
Socrates argument for the theory of recollection in the Phaedo (72e-78b)
In the Phaedo, Plato has described the theory of recollection basically as the ability of a person to remember what they knew before. This knowledge comes after someone has been born and also after being exposed to a scenario that they experienced before. According to Phaedo, it is not about what the person knew before they were born but rather the memories of the things they had seen in their lifetime. For instance, if a person sees a picture of a known legendary, they will recollect the memories that they have towards such a legendary that will make them recollect. On the other hand, an image of something that is not known to them may not have any significance to them simply because they can not recollect memories of such. Phaedo suggests that there is an abstract knowledge that is acquired before one is born which is approved through the experiences that they go through and other life encounters.
Conclusion
The theory of recollection was an answer to Menos paradox that states that man needs not learn anything new as what they know is enough, and what they dont know are not necessary. Despite the efforts of Socrates to answer the same, we find that the theory has several loopholes that cannot be ignored. It has been argued that even if there is a possibility that man existed in a certain form before they were born, there was a moment when they were new to the world and had to learn something afresh. There is a difference that has come out clearly concerning the issues that have been learned before, whereby someone needs to remember and those that are through abstract knowledge. Sensual things dont need to be learned anywhere yet there are those technical things that one has to acquire some knowledge for them to know.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.