In his dialogue Meno, Plato compares the finding of a mathematical theorem (that of “doubling the square”) to an initiation into the mysteries, and to other decidedly unscientific phenomena such as...Show moreIn his dialogue Meno, Plato compares the finding of a mathematical theorem (that of “doubling the square”) to an initiation into the mysteries, and to other decidedly unscientific phenomena such as the remigration of souls, remembrance (anamnêsis), and divine madness. The present MA-thesis explains how this comparison between mathematics and the mysterious is not simply allegorical, but issues from Socrates’ peculiar treatment of mathematics, which does not follow the axiomatic-deductive method and order of rigorous proof, but seizes on misleading thought tendencies, the apparent transparency of colloquial Greek, opaque features of diagrams (especially concerning the constructibility of √2), and the avoidance of technical vocabulary.Show less