Dialogue

  1  Gorg|         subjects. Under the cover of rhetoric higher themes are introduced;
  2  Gorg|           this is the genus of which rhetoric is only one, and not the
  3  Gorg|            question is asked—What is rhetoric? To this there is no answer
  4  Gorg|              use for the teaching of rhetoric.~The characters of the three
  5  Gorg|        Although he has been teaching rhetoric all his life, he is still
  6  Gorg|              unwilling to admit that rhetoric can be wholly separated
  7  Gorg|             knows by experience that rhetoric exercises great influence
  8  Gorg|            to explain the puzzle how rhetoric can teach everything and
  9  Gorg|              the author of a work on rhetoric, and is again mentioned
 10  Gorg|           fascinated by the power of rhetoric, and dazzled by the splendour
 11  Gorg|     Archelaus being miserable, or of rhetoric being only useful in self-
 12  Gorg|           but favours the new art of rhetoric, which he regards as an
 13  Gorg|       himself or of others; and that rhetoric should be employed for the
 14  Gorg|          hearing Gorgias display his rhetoric, but of interrogating him
 15  Gorg|            be summed up as follows:—~Rhetoric treats of discourse; but
 16  Gorg|     discourse; in what way then does rhetoric differ from them? Gorgias
 17  Gorg|             as arithmetic, geometry, rhetoric. But still Gorgias could
 18  Gorg|           arithmetic was the same as rhetoric. Even in the arts which
 19  Gorg|              What then distinguishes rhetoric from the other arts which
 20  Gorg|              words? ‘The words which rhetoric uses relate to the best
 21  Gorg|               neither can you define rhetoric simply as an art of persuasion,
 22  Gorg|       limitation, and he now defines rhetoric as the art of persuading
 23  Gorg|             sorts of persuasion does rhetoric effect in courts of law
 24  Gorg|         asking:—About what then will rhetoric teach us to persuade or
 25  Gorg|            illustrates the nature of rhetoric by adducing the example
 26  Gorg|         anything by the power of his rhetoric; not that the rhetorician
 27  Gorg|            the art of self- defence. Rhetoric is a good thing, but, like
 28  Gorg|              as a part of the art of rhetoric. But he who has learned
 29  Gorg|              must be a just man, and rhetoric is a just thing. But Gorgias
 30  Gorg|          opposite of this, viz. that rhetoric may be abused, and that
 31  Gorg|          answer.~‘What is the art of Rhetoric?’ says Polus. Not an art
 32  Gorg|           gratification. ‘But is not rhetoric a fine thing?’ I have not
 33  Gorg|           have not yet told you what rhetoric is. Will you ask me another
 34  Gorg|            under the same class, and rhetoric has still to be distinguished
 35  Gorg| distinguished from cookery. ‘What is rhetoric?’ asks Polus once more.
 36  Gorg|             of cookery, of medicine; rhetoric is the simulation of justice,
 37  Gorg|            And,~Cookery : medicine : rhetoric : the art of justice.~And
 38  Gorg|            and purge away his crime. Rhetoric will enable him to display
 39  Gorg|            true that the only use of rhetoric is in self-accusation, and
 40  Gorg|            as you say, is the use of rhetoric in courts of justice. But
 41  Gorg|            case; although you admire rhetoric and despise sophistic, whereas
 42  Gorg|              want of your flattering rhetoric, I shall die in peace. For
 43  Gorg|           and discord, dialectic and rhetoric or poetry, are so many pairs
 44  Gorg|               That poetry is akin to rhetoric may be compared with the
 45  Gorg|            to Gorgias’ definition of rhetoric (Philebus; compare Gorg.),
 46  Gorg|           and in the proposed use of rhetoric as an instrument of self-condemnation;
 47  Gorg|           clothes or disguises which rhetoric and public opinion have
 48  Gorg|             to their own faults; the rhetoric of self-love is always pleading
 49  Gorg|         Socrates would have them use rhetoric, not in defence but in accusation
 50  Gorg|           And we call to our aid the rhetoric of prayer and preaching,
 51  Gorg|          speech? What is feeling but rhetoric? And if rhetoric is used
 52  Gorg|         feeling but rhetoric? And if rhetoric is used on one side only
 53  Gorg|              the art which is called rhetoric than to dialectic.~POLUS:
 54  Gorg|          which you profess?~GORGIAS: Rhetoric, Socrates, is my art.~SOCRATES:
 55  Gorg|             me ask you, with what is rhetoric concerned: I might ask with
 56  Gorg|              me in like manner about rhetoric: with what is rhetoric concerned?~
 57  Gorg|         about rhetoric: with what is rhetoric concerned?~GORGIAS: With
 58  Gorg|          GORGIAS: No.~SOCRATES: Then rhetoric does not treat of all kinds
 59  Gorg|     Certainly not.~SOCRATES: And yet rhetoric makes men able to speak?~
 60  Gorg|      SOCRATES: Then why, if you call rhetoric the art which treats of
 61  Gorg|            you not call them arts of rhetoric?~GORGIAS: Because, Socrates,
 62  Gorg|           such action of the hand in rhetoric which works and takes effect
 63  Gorg|             justified in saying that rhetoric treats of discourse.~SOCRATES:
 64  Gorg|          come within the province of rhetoric.~GORGIAS: You perfectly
 65  Gorg|              your meaning to be that rhetoric is an art of this latter
 66  Gorg|            to call any of these arts rhetoric; although the precise expression
 67  Gorg|             which you used was, that rhetoric is an art which works and
 68  Gorg|         Gorgias, you call arithmetic rhetoric.’ But I do not think that
 69  Gorg|           you really call arithmetic rhetoric any more than geometry would
 70  Gorg|            of my answer:—seeing that rhetoric is one of those arts which
 71  Gorg|          quality in words with which rhetoric is concerned:—Suppose that
 72  Gorg|             Gorgias, the truth about rhetoric: which you would admit (
 73  Gorg|            things do the words which rhetoric uses relate?~GORGIAS: To
 74  Gorg|            conceive to be the art of rhetoric; and you mean to say, if
 75  Gorg|              I am not mistaken, that rhetoric is the artificer of persuasion,
 76  Gorg|             know any other effect of rhetoric over and above that of producing
 77  Gorg|       persuasion is the chief end of rhetoric.~SOCRATES: Then hear me,
 78  Gorg|         speak, and which is given by rhetoric; although I have a suspicion
 79  Gorg|         persuasion which is given by rhetoric, and about what? But why,
 80  Gorg|             Now I want to know about rhetoric in the same way;—is rhetoric
 81  Gorg|         rhetoric in the same way;—is rhetoric the only art which brings
 82  Gorg|           Then arithmetic as well as rhetoric is an artificer of persuasion?~
 83  Gorg|            Very true.~SOCRATES: Then rhetoric is not the only artificer
 84  Gorg|          Seeing, then, that not only rhetoric works by persuasion, but
 85  Gorg|           one: Of what persuasion is rhetoric the artificer, and about
 86  Gorg|             I answer, Socrates, that rhetoric is the art of persuasion
 87  Gorg|              sort of persuasion does rhetoric create in courts of law
 88  Gorg|         gives belief.~SOCRATES: Then rhetoric, as would appear, is the
 89  Gorg|            what we really mean about rhetoric; for I do not know what
 90  Gorg|              you the whole nature of rhetoric. You must have heard, I
 91  Gorg|          asked what is the nature of rhetoric, which always appears to
 92  Gorg|       Socrates, if you only knew how rhetoric comprehends and holds under
 93  Gorg|         physician just by the use of rhetoric. And I say that if a rhetorician
 94  Gorg|              and power of the art of rhetoric! And yet, Socrates, rhetoric
 95  Gorg|         rhetoric! And yet, Socrates, rhetoric should be used like any
 96  Gorg|          same argument holds good of rhetoric; for the rhetorician can
 97  Gorg|           the power; he ought to use rhetoric fairly, as he would also
 98  Gorg|           were saying at first about rhetoric. And I am afraid to point
 99  Gorg|             holds of the relation of rhetoric to all the other arts; the
100  Gorg|           other arts, but the art of rhetoric only, and yet to be in no
101  Gorg|            he can acquire the art of rhetoric? If he is ignorant, you
102  Gorg|           you who are the teacher of rhetoric will not teach him—it is
103  Gorg|           you be unable to teach him rhetoric at all, unless he knows
104  Gorg|            reveal to me the power of rhetoric, as you were saying that
105  Gorg|            bad and unjust use of his rhetoric, that is not to be laid
106  Gorg|            who made a bad use of his rhetoric—he is to be banished—was
107  Gorg|            Gorgias, it was said that rhetoric treated of discourse, not (
108  Gorg|            heard you saying so, that rhetoric, which is always discoursing
109  Gorg|              might make a bad use of rhetoric I noted with surprise the
110  Gorg|              making an unjust use of rhetoric, or of willingness to do
111  Gorg|             you are now saying about rhetoric? What! because Gorgias was
112  Gorg|            unable to answer: What is rhetoric?~SOCRATES: Do you mean what
113  Gorg|            what, in your opinion, is rhetoric?~SOCRATES: A thing which,
114  Gorg|              experience.~POLUS: Does rhetoric seem to you to be an experience?~
115  Gorg|             gratify others, must not rhetoric be a fine thing?~SOCRATES:
116  Gorg|            Why do you ask me whether rhetoric is a fine thing or not,
117  Gorg|             not as yet told you what rhetoric is?~POLUS: Did I not hear
118  Gorg|              I not hear you say that rhetoric was a sort of experience?~
119  Gorg|          POLUS: Then are cookery and rhetoric the same?~SOCRATES: No,
120  Gorg|            or no this is that art of rhetoric which Gorgias practises
121  Gorg|          thought of his art, but the rhetoric which I mean is a part of
122  Gorg|          Gorgias, the whole of which rhetoric is a part is not an art
123  Gorg|              an art:—another part is rhetoric, and the art of attiring
124  Gorg|             what part of flattery is rhetoric: he did not see that I had
125  Gorg|               Whether I do not think rhetoric a fine thing? But I shall
126  Gorg|           shall not tell him whether rhetoric is a fine thing or not,
127  Gorg|             first answered, ‘What is rhetoric?’ For that would not be
128  Gorg|             What part of flattery is rhetoric?~POLUS: I will ask and do
129  Gorg|             What part of flattery is rhetoric?~SOCRATES: Will you understand
130  Gorg|            you understand my answer? Rhetoric, according to my view, is
131  Gorg|              you mean by saying that rhetoric is the counterfeit of a
132  Gorg|              to explain my notion of rhetoric, and if I am mistaken, my
133  Gorg|              as cookery : medicine : rhetoric : justice.~And this, I say,
134  Gorg|           have told you my notion of rhetoric, which is, in relation to
135  Gorg|              mean? do you think that rhetoric is flattery?~SOCRATES: Nay,
136  Gorg|              is not a fool, and that rhetoric is an art and not a flattery—
137  Gorg|            where is the great use of rhetoric? If we admit what has been
138  Gorg|           one answer.~SOCRATES: Then rhetoric is of no use to us, Polus,
139  Gorg|             own relations, and using rhetoric to this end, that his and
140  Gorg|          greatest evil. Then, Polus, rhetoric would indeed be useful.
141  Gorg|            For such purposes, Polus, rhetoric may be useful, but is of
142  Gorg|              him who wanted to learn rhetoric, and did not know justice,
143  Gorg|            assembly, and cultivating rhetoric, and engaging in public
144  Gorg|             Then poetry is a sort of rhetoric?~CALLICLES: True.~SOCRATES:
145  Gorg|            have discovered a sort of rhetoric which is addressed to a
146  Gorg|             do you say of that other rhetoric which addresses the Athenian
147  Gorg|              with the admission that rhetoric is of two sorts; one, which
148  Gorg|           have you ever known such a rhetoric; or if you have, and can
149  Gorg|           this end he should use his rhetoric—all those consequences are
150  Gorg|             always; like that art of rhetoric which saves men in courts
151  Gorg|       extremity of danger, just like rhetoric. Yet his art is modest and
152  Gorg|              not use the true art of rhetoric or of flattery, or they
153  Gorg|            you ignorantly fancy that rhetoric is a perfect thing, and
154  Gorg|     sophistry is as much superior to rhetoric as legislation is to the
155  Gorg|             no powers of flattery or rhetoric, I am very sure that you
156  Gorg|              few or of the many: and rhetoric and any other art should