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Single Idea 5986

[from 'Meno' by Plato, in 12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 3. Innate Knowledge / b. Recollection doctrine ]

Full Idea

The slave boy's knowledge of geometry will not come from teaching but from questioning; he will recover it for himself, and the spontaneous recovery of knowledge that is in him is recollection.

Gist of Idea

The slave boy learns geometry from questioning, not teaching, so it is recollection

Source

Plato (Meno [c.385 BCE], 85d)

Book Reference

Plato: 'Complete Works', ed/tr. Cooper,John M. [Hackett 1997], p.886


A Reaction

Of course, if maths and geometry are huge tautological axiom systems, we would expect to be able to derive them (with hints from a teacher) entirely from their axioms. It is not clear why we might be able to derive the truths of all nature a priori.