Platos Gorgias
SOCRATES: Such is the tradition, Gorgias, about other profession the rhetorician more than any one would Themistocles; and I myself heard the speech of Pericles have the power of getting himself chosen, for he can speak when he advised us about the middle wall.
more persuasively to the multitude than any of them, and on any subject. Such is the nature and power of the art of GORGIAS: And you will observe, Socrates, that when a rhetoric! And yet, Socrates, rhetoric should be used like decision has to be given in such matters the rhetoricians any other competitive art, not against everybody,the rheto-are the advisers; they are the men who win their point.
rician ought not to abuse his strength any more than a pugilist or pancratiast or other master of fence;because he has SOCRATES: I had that in my admiring mind, Gorgias, powers which are more than a match either for friend or when I asked what is the nature of rhetoric, which always enemy, he ought not therefore to strike, stab, or slay his appears to me, when I look at the matter in this way, to be friends. Suppose a man to have been trained in the palestra a marvel of greatness.
and to be a skilful boxer,he in the fulness of his strength goes and strikes his father or mother or one of his familiars GORGIAS: A marvel, indeed, Socrates, if you only knew or friends; but that is no reason why the trainers or fencing-how rhetoric comprehends and holds under her sway all masters should be held in detestation or banished from the the inferior arts. Let me offer you a striking example of city;surely not. For they taught their art for a good pur-this. On several occasions I have been with my brother pose, to be used against enemies and evil-doers, in self-Herodicus or some other physician to see one of his pa-defence not in aggression, and others have perverted their tients, who would not allow the physician to give him medi-instructions, and turned to a bad use their own strength cine, or apply the knife or hot iron to him; and I have per-and skill. But not on this account are the teachers bad, nei-suaded him to do for me what he would not do for the ther is the art in fault, or bad in itself; I should rather say physician just by the use of rhetoric. And I say that if a that those who make a bad use of the art are to blame. And rhetorician and a physician were to go to any city, and had the same argument holds good of rhetoric; for the rhetori-there to argue in the Ecclesia or any other assembly as to cian can speak against all men and upon any subject,in which of them should be elected state-physician, the physi-short, he can persuade the multitude better than any other cian would have no chance; but he who could speak would man of anything which he pleases, but he should not there-be chosen if he wished; and in a contest with a man of any fore seek to defraud the physician or any other artist of his 70
Platos Gorgias
reputation merely because he has the power; he ought to the truth, but from jealousy of you. Now if you are one of my use rhetoric fairly, as he would also use his athletic powers.
sort, I should like to cross-examine you, but if not I will let And if after having become a rhetorician he makes a bad you alone. And what is my sort? you will ask. I am one of use of his strength and skill, his instructor surely ought not those who are very willing to be refuted if I say anything which on that account to be held in detestation or banished. For is not true, and very willing to refute any one else who says he was intended by his teacher to make a good use of his what is not true, and quite as ready to be refuted as to refute; instructions, but he abuses them. And therefore he is the for I hold that this is the greater gain of the two, just as the person who ought to be held in detestation, banished, and gain is greater of being cured of a very great evil than of cur-put to death, and not his instructor.
ing another. For I imagine that there is no evil which a man can endure so great as an erroneous opinion about the mat-SOCRATES: You, Gorgias, like myself, have had great exters of which we are speaking; and if you claim to be one of perience of disputations, and you must have observed, I think, my sort, let us have the discussion out, but if you would rather that they do not always terminate in mutual edification, or in have done, no matter;let us make an end of it.
the definition by either party of the subjects which they are discussing; but disagreements are apt to arisesomebody says GORGIAS: I should say, Socrates, that I am quite the man that another has not spoken truly or clearly; and then they whom you indicate; but, perhaps, we ought to consider the get into a passion and begin to quarrel, both parties conceiv-audience, for, before you came, I had already given a long ing that their opponents are arguing from personal feeling exhibition, and if we proceed the argument may run on to only and jealousy of themselves, not from any interest in the a great length. And therefore I think that we should con-question at issue. And sometimes they will go on abusing sider whether we may not be detaining some part of the one another until the company at last are quite vexed at them-company when they are wanting to do something else.
selves for ever listening to such fellows. Why do I say this?
Why, because I cannot help feeling that you are now saying CHAEREPHON: You hear the audience cheering, Gorgias what is not quite consistent or accordant with what you were and Socrates, which shows their desire to listen to you; and saying at first about rhetoric. And I am afraid to point this for myself, Heaven forbid that I should have any business out to you, lest you should think that I have some animosity on hand which would take me away from a discussion so against you, and that I speak, not for the sake of discovering interesting and so ably maintained.