Tolstoy and Meno

Tolstoy’s Childhood—in which he enters into that departed condition with the sureness he alone possesses—includes a description of the narrator’s father (Chapter 10). Among his characteristics is one reminiscent of a definition of “virtue,” i.e., human excellence (ἀρετή, aretê), offered by Plato’s Meno. The son writes,

Он был знаток всех вещей, доставляющих удобства и наслаждения, и умел пользоваться ими.

“He was a connoisseur of all things that afford comfort and enjoyment, and knew how to take advantage of them.” Or: “He was knowledgeable in all… and was able to take…”