Gorgias viewed rhetoric as the “art of persuasion.” Although he did not consider himself a sophist, that is how is categorized by historians today. Similar to other sophists, Gorgias was a teacher of rhetoric, however, he did not claim to be a teacher of virtue, as the traditional sophist would. Gorgias is famous not only for being a highly successful teacher of rhetoric, but also for having mastered the art of rhetoric and valuing its potential to persuade. According to the reading, “he reportedly electrified audiences” with his demonstrations of rhetorical discourse. Gorgias embraced the sophistic philosophy of rhetoric by being an accomplished rhetorician that shared similar values, excluding his feelings towards virtue, with sophists.

Gorgias’ definition and purpose of rhetoric complement my definition of rhetoric because we both note the persuasive purpose of rhetoric. Gorgias earned his name as a rhetorician, as he would say, by demonstrating his mastery of the art to audience, whether it is his students or the other members of the public. I think it is important to mention this because my definition of rhetoric not only complements his, but was created with his contributions to rhetoric in mind. In other words, without Gorgias, my definition of rhetoric would not be the same.