How Does Aristotle Understand the Paradox of the Meno?

Abstract

I focus on the distinction between universal and particular knowledge or knowledge simpliciter in APr 2.21 and APo 1.1 as Aristotle’s explicit response to the paradox of the Meno. I attempt to derive a picture of Aristotle’s understanding of the philosophical problem underlying that paradox by asking what that problem would have to be in order for this distinction to make sense as a response to it. I consider two ways of taking the distinction, and argue that both point towards a problem about deriving knowledge of particulars from knowledge of universals as the fundamental problem underlying Aristotle’s understanding of the Meno paradox.

Keywords

• Aristotle
• Meno
• Posterior Analytics
• Prior Analytics
• Universal Knowledge
• Knowledge of Particulars