Igniting A Spark: Fostering Dialectical Thinking With Plato’s Meno

Abstract: In this article, I present a three-stage teaching strategy for orienting first-time readers of the Platonic dialogues using the Meno as a case study. The approach assists students lacking a philosophical background to advance from personal reflection to developing more advanced analytical and interpretive skills. The first stage of the method invites students to contemplate their life goals in preparation for a structured class debate between relativistic and absolutist notions of success. The second stage employs in-class philosophical reading groups, where students engage with small passages from the Meno to develop their analytical skills in a supportive learning environment. The final stage consists of a two-part writing assignment in which students produce a line-by-line philosophical analysis of their passage along with an essay reconciling the antithetical arguments presented in their selection. By employing this multifaceted approach, students cultivate critical, analytical, and dialectical thinking in order to navigate the complexities of Plato's enigmatic dialogues.