Plato’s issue of mere belief vs. true knowledge come from his distaste for Gorgias and the sophists as a whole.  In Plato’s Gorgias, he writes of a conversation deciding who would win a senate physician chair.  Gorgias says that the rhetor would be able to win the seat over a career physician because he has the … Continue reading Issues Between Mere Belief and True Knowledge →

I may be wrong in my assumption, but I believe that Gorgias would say that music is not rhetoric.  In Plato’s Gorgias before Socrates asks, “With what is rhetoric concerned,” he asks Gorgias to confirm that “. . . music is concerned with the composition of melodies. . .” Gorgias confirms and then later again confirms that, … Continue reading Music’s Relation to Rhetoric →

When Socrates starts asking questions, it is not Gorgias who attempts to give the first answer.  Polus, rather comically, chimes in in place of Gorgias when Socrates asks what is the art in which Gorgias is skilled.  Polus pompously states that Gorgias is “one of the best, and the art in which he is a … Continue reading Gorgias’ Definition of Rhetoric →

During the in class discussion, many of my peers attempted to define rhetoric as persuasion and may have agreed with the, empty beautification of words definition believed by Plato.  Their opinions aside, I would still attempt to persuade them that to say that rhetoric is persuasive and used by those that wish to influence or … Continue reading Revision and Response to Rhetoric Discussion →

From what I understand, rhetoric is an idea that you are able to express to others regardless of the medium; be it written, spoken, illustrated, acted or any other form of expression.  Based on this definition, a rhetorician is anyone that has expressed or is expressing an idea that may be interpreted by an audience.  … Continue reading Defining Rhetoric →