Dialogue

 1  Gorg|     convinced that Socrates is in earnest; for if these things are
 2  Gorg|            he is in most profound earnest, as Chaerephon remarks.
 3  Gorg|         he is also more deeply in earnest. He rises higher than even
 4  Gorg| Chaerephon whether Socrates is in earnest, and on receiving the assurance
 5  Gorg|        meaning. The more he is in earnest, the more ironical he becomes;
 6  Gorg|           and he is never more in earnest or more ironical than in
 7  Gorg|     length he makes even Polus in earnest. Finally, he drops the argument,
 8  Gorg|        this confusion of jest and earnest, we may now return to the
 9  Gorg|        Chaerephon, is Socrates in earnest, or is he joking?~CHAEREPHON:
10  Gorg|       that he is in most profound earnest; but you may well ask him.~
11  Gorg|          me, Socrates, are you in earnest, or only in jest? For if
12  Gorg|           jest? For if you are in earnest, and what you say is true,
13  Gorg|     SOCRATES: Then, as you are in earnest, shall we proceed with the
14  Gorg|             Or, ‘I am in profound earnest.’)~SOCRATES: Well, if you
15  Gorg|         asked me whether I was in earnest when I said that a man ought
16  Gorg|         reply, seemingly quite in earnest, as if I had asked, Who