In The Gorgias Plato Attempts To Answer Several Questions Put Forth By Gorgias,

Below is a free term papers summary of the paper "In The Gorgias Plato Attempts To Answer Several Questions Put Forth By Gorgias, ." If you sign up, you can be reading the rest of this term papers in under two minutes. Registered users should login to view this term paper.

Term Paper Title	In The Gorgias Plato Attempts To Answer Several Questions Put Forth By Gorgias,
# of Words	947
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.79

     In the Gorgias Plato attempts to answer several questions put forth by Gorgias, Polus, and Callicles. Plato’s major argument in the Gorgias is whether it is right to pursue personal pleasure or those things that are virtuous. Plato states that people can not truly be happy unless they have gained their happiness through virtuous or good actions.

     If I were unjustly accused of a crime, just as Socrates was, I would let the court decide my fate. If I were given the opportunity to hire a lawyer who was not going to their rhetorical skills to my benefit I would do so. I would prefer to be represented by an honest and virtuous person rather than one that would use oratory as an attempt to persuade the court. Choosing such a person would probably lead to my conviction and possibly my death. I would rather die honestly, knowing that I stood firm to my beliefs. I would not be truly happy if I used rhetoric to manipulate the court in any way. My view on this matter follows the view that Socrates supported. This is the idea that it is better to be wrongly convicted than to do wrong, which Socrates experienced first hand.

     I feel that if Socrates faced the same situation that was previously stated he would follow the course of action that I chose. I am sure of this because Socrates faced this exact situation when he was falsely accused of corrupting the Athenian youth. He was presented with the opportunity to have a sophist write his formal apology. Socrates refused to allow this. He instead held true to his ideas that the sophists were guilty of not teaching their pupils how to seek the good and be virtuous people. Socrates himself said that no person is above the law. Although he felt he was wrongly convicted he accepted the fate the court hand handed him.

     In the Gorgias, Socrates converses with three other sophists. These men are: Gorgias, an intelligent and well known sophist, Polus, a close friend of Gorgias, and Callicles, the prize student of Gorgias. Plato begins the conversation by posing a question. He asks Gorgias to define oratory. Gorgias does little to provide an acceptable definition of oratory. Socrates then asks Gorgias if oratory is an art. Gorgias and Polus are quick to acknowledge that it is indeed an art. Socrates continues to speak with them and eventually explains why oratory is not an art at all. Socrates says that oratory fails to cause conviction or belief in its listeners. Instead, it merely persuades the listeners to a...

This is not the end of the termpaper! Register below to see the complete version of this term paper.

Membership Plans	Credit Card	Check

1 month membership

3 month membership (You Save 50%)

6 month membership (You Save 67%)

Copyright © 2002-2007 Mid Term Papers. All rights reserved. This term papers website is used for research purposes only.
If you have forgotten your username or password, please click here.
If you like to cancel your account, please click here.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22