Menon

This new translation of Plato''s Menon contains a detailed introduction which discusses the circumstances of its composition, the possible addressees, the characters of the dialogue as well as its theme and questions. The translation is based on the Greek text by Bluck (1964). Therefore, the reproduced Greek text (after Burnet 1903) incorporates the changes resulting from Bluck''s text. In addition, changes to the Greek text are suggested in a number of places, partly on the basis of our own or other conjectures, partly on the basis of other readings in the manuscripts, some of which are also important for the philosophical understanding of the dialogue. The explanations emphasise a precise analysis of the arguments of the dialogue on the one hand, and the literary aspects on the other. The references to Sicilian authors (Gorgias, Empedocles, Theognis) together with the elements reminiscent of comedy suggest that Plato had a Sicilian audience in mind when writing the dialogue. These premises give rise to a new understanding of various positions attributed to this dialogue.