''On Virtue'' (; ) is a

Socratic dialogue Socratic dialogue () is a genre of literary prose developed in Greece at the turn of the fourth century BC. The earliest ones are preserved in the works of Plato and Xenophon and all involve Socrates as the protagonist. These dialogues, and subse ...

attributed to

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

, but which is considered spurious. In the short dialogue,

Socrates Socrates (; ; – 399 BC) was a Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and as among the first moral philosophers of the Ethics, ethical tradition ...

discusses with a friend questions about whether virtue can be taught.John Madison Cooper, D. S. Hutchinson, (1997), ''Plato, Complete works'', page 1694. Hackett Publishing. To answer this question, the author of the dialogue does little more than copy out a few passages from the ''

Meno ''Meno'' (; , ''Ménōn'') is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato around 385 BC., but set at an earlier date around 402 BC. Meno begins the dialogue by asking Socrates whether virtue (in , '' aretē'') can be taught, acquired by practice, o ...

'' almost word for word. W. K. C. Guthrie, (1986), ''A history of Greek philosophy: The later Plato and the Academy'', page 398. Cambridge University Press

References

External links

''On Virtue''
translated by George Burges
Free public domain audiobook version of ''On Virtue''
translated by George Burges * . Collection includes On Virtue.

George Burges George Burges (; 1786 – 11 January 1864) was an English classical scholar who published translations of the works of Euripides, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Plato. Biography Burges was born in Bengal, India, and was probably the son of Thomas Bu ...

, translator (1855). Dialogues of Plato Virtue Appendix Platonica {{ethics-book-stub