All Desire Good Unto Themselves (Part 1)

(This writing concerns a dialogue between Meno and Socrates. For reference click here.)

"So I say that virtue is to desire beautiful things and have the power to acquire them." 

(G.M.A. Grube, "Plato Five Dialogues," Hackett Publishing Company, INC. 1981. p. 66)  

This statement by Meno is where I will begin my examination on Socrates' claim that no one knowingly desires harm unto themselves through logical arguments of Socratic thinking.  My argument is rooted in the belief that, based in all actions, are a desire for benefit.  Where one perceives his benefits to be found is where you will find his true desire and ultimately what he believes his true source of benefit to be.  One always desires perceived benefits, no matter what the actual consequences may be, not harm.

The definition by Meno indicates the assumption that they who desire beautiful things also desire good things and there are some who then would desire bad things.  From this position, Socrates begins his inquiry.  Logically he starts with asking whether the man who desires beautiful things also desires good things (p. 66b).  If not all men are virtuous, and virtue is, according to Meno, the desire of beautiful things, and if a man desires beautiful things as well as good things (i.e. the beautiful things are good) then it would be reasonable to conclude that there are some who would desire bad things.  Bad things are equated with those that are harmful and so, along this line of reasoning, since not all are virtuous, there are some who desire what is harmful to them (p. 66b,c).  However, this still does not prove that there are those who desire harm unto themselves.  Is it possible that the person believes that by attaining the bad things that they will receive benefit from  them? (p. 66d,e).  If this were the case, then we would have to say that they did not desire harm unto themselves even if harm does come from bad things because they were seeking benefit for themselves, which is contrary to harm.  We are then left with this question: Do those who believe that they are receiving benefit from acquiring bad things not know that what they have obtained is bad, and so essentially harmful as well? (To be continued...)