1. In Plato's Meno, Socrates states that all learning is actually memory (80d – 86c). What drives Socrates to make this statement, and what does he mean by it? While Socrates and Meno sought to discover the essence of the virtues, Socrates said: “The soul, therefore, being immortal, and having been born again many times, and having seen all things that exist, both in this world and in the world down here, he knows them all; and it is no wonder that he can remember all he ever knew about virtue and everything; for all nature is kindred and the soul has learned all things1.” As he suggested, the soul has already known everything, and therefore the acquisition of all knowledge is the process of remembrance, the process of remembering what we have already known with the help of some hints. How does he demonstrate to Meno that learning is memory? Socrates was then able to verify his theory by demonstrating it on one of Meno's slaves. He did not directly teach or instruct anything to that slave boy who originally knew no geometry. Instead, Socrates provided the slave with suggestions and guided his thoughts step by step. As a result, the slave boy discovered a simple geometric theorem that apparently “emerged” from his mind. Do you find his demonstration convincing? Why or why not? Of course not. Even his statement that “Learning is remembering” is not convincing. Ultimately this statement is completely apriorism, an idealist theory that I don't believe in. When it comes to his demonstration of that theory, I think his demonstration might have been persuasive at the time, but it just doesn't hold up at all when put into modern society. The complexity of modern science has g...... middle of paper ......k, therefore I am, was so certain and so proven that no reason for doubt, however extravagant, could be adduced by capable skeptics to shake it." 4Are you convinced that the statement “I think therefore I am” is a certain truth? Why or why not? Yes. I tried changing the "think" to other verbs and making the sentence sound like "I eat, therefore I am" or "I walk, therefore I am", but no words other than "think" really make sense. Thinking is the only action that can pass the test of doubt because it is the basis of doubt. The action itself confirmed the substantiality of thoughts, and therefore confirms the existence of one's self.1. Meno. page 452. [VI Lenin, What is to be done? (New York: Editori Internazionali, 1961) p. 31.]3. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito ergo_sum4. Part IV Discours de la Méthode, René Descartes, 1637