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Gorgias Summary

Decent Essays

In the Gorgias reading, oratory is an art of persuasion. Notably Socrates is in search of that knowledge, knowledge of what oratory truly is. He then approaches Gorgias, an orator himself, and questions him about his teachings and practices. During the conversation both Gorgias and Socrates engage in, many flaws are revealed in Gorgias beliefs and understandings of his teachings as Socrates conducts his questions around the actual functions of oratory. In the beginning of their discussion, Gorgias states that “in the case of oratory, on the other hand, there isn’t any such manual work. Its activity and influence depend entirely on speeches. That’s the reason I consider the craft of oratory to be concerned with speeches” (796). Meaning that …show more content…

Furthermore, Gorgias provided answers to these questions by stating that he is able to turn his followers into orators and that even if they did not possess the knowledge he would teach his students about all the subjects. Gorgias also believed that an orator was always just. In spite of that, Socrates was able to contradict Gorgias with his previous statements by saying “ if an orator uses his oratorical skill unjustly we shouldn’t complain against his teacher or banish him from the city, but do so to the one who does what’s unjust, the one who doesn’t use his oratorical skill properly?” (805). Gorgias agreed with Socrates statement even after Gorgias said that an orator would always speak the truth and be just, meaning that even the student would not use his learnings for injustices reasons. “I took it that oratory would never be an unjust thing, since it always makes its speeches about justice. But when a little later you were saying that the orator could also use oratory unjustly, I was surprised and thought that your statements weren’t consistent” (805) with this section of the conversation Socrates left Gorgias mute and his student Polus stepped in to back up

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