On Virtue (ΠΕΡΙ ΑΡΕΤΗΣ) may not have been written by Plato. Socrates asks his friend the following questions: If virtue can be taught why were eminent Greeks of the past unable to teach their own children to be good? If virtue is a natural characteristic why aren't there specialists who can identify which children will grow up to become good? Socrates and his friend conclude that virtue must be a divine gift to the individual for the benefit of the state. Painting: The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.