It is urged that a mendacious person, able to tell the truth if he chooses, is better than one unable to tell it, although wishing to do so; the knowledge is of greater worth than the good disposition.
In MINOS (or the Definition of _Law_) he refuses to accept the decree of the state as a law, but postulates the decision of some Ideal wise man.

This is a following out of the Sokratic analogy of the professions, to a purely ideal demand; the wise man is never producible.

In many dialogues (Kriton, Laches, &c.) the decision of some Expert is sought, as a physician is consulted in disease; but the Moral expert is unknown to any actual community.
In LACHES, the question 'what is Virtue ?' is put; it is argued under the special virtue of _Courage_.

In a truly Sokratic dialogue, Sokrates is in search of a definition of Courage; as happens in the search dialogues, there is no definite result, but the drift of the discussion is to make courage a mode of intelligence, and to resolve it into the grand desideratum of the knowledge of good and evil--belonging to the One Wise Man.
CHARMIDES discusses _Temperance_.

As usual with Plato in discussing the virtues, with a view to their Logical definition, he presupposes that this is something beneficial and good.