The third example Socrates gives of the sort of answer he expects from Meno is even worse than the previous two, although Meno accepts this one enthusiastically. The first answer had been that shape is the only thing which always follows colour, and Meno had called that one silly, since the recipient of the answer might not know what colour is; the second, that shape is the end of solid, was performed with Socrates "dialectically" ensuring that Meno accepted all the elements of the answer before giving the answer. Meno has now demanded to know what colour is, so Socrates' third answer is that colour is the perception of shapes according to Empedocles; this is a mirror image of the first answer (then, shape follows colour; now, colour follows shape), except that Meno has accepted all of the elements, which apparently removes the objection that this answer is silly. We are to conclude that merely accepting all the elements before being given the answer does not guarantee a good answer, or one that is intelligible to the recipient.

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