In the real world of today, one can illustrate Socrates argument for content, knowledge and facts against mere fantasies, fictions, and even straight lies. In our political scenarios today, politicians have employed the use of rhetoric to try and persuade the public, they do not care to provide facts and lay bare truths. These are also common in social media and blogs and these have managed to strengthen the art or rhetoric even with no knowledge or rational reasoning behind what is presented. Socrates opposed false rhetoric which he explained that was mere sophistry. Sophistry, as Socrates explained, is deceit coupled with wisdom. Socrates, for example, asks Callicles in Gorgias dialogue, “Do you think orators always speak with regard to what’s best? Do they always set their sights on making the citizens as good as possible through their speeches?” (Stauffer 25). He continues to ask whether orators simply try to keep their audience company and worry little about the content of their speech.
The second aspect of Gorgias dialogue that resonates well with today’s world is justice. To this discussion, Socrates asks if it’s true that injustice and an act that leads to injustice produce the greatest evil. With that position, then he says that an act that produces injustice would be second in the hierarchy of the greatest evils. He then concludes that “and for the doer of injustice not to pay the just penalty is naturally the greatest and first of all evils” (Stauffer 28). This statement by Socrates augers well with the modern world. As a result of freedom without responsibility, bloggers, hackers and unanimous social media accounts have attacked and made slanderous statements against individuals without even caring to authenticate the validity of the information they post. Worst of all is the injustice of such people not getting any penalty for the injustice they do to others. Socrates considers such unanimous identities not only as being cowards but are also very evil.
Socrates also addresses the issue of virtue and knowledge. Knowledge , he says, are facts that cannot be disputed. These facts remain true and with evidence, for example, is it true that the sun rises from the east and sets in the west. It’s also a bare fact that Illinois occupies an area of 150, 010 square kilometers. Then comes misinterpretations and misrepresentations of truths, facts, and knowledge. For example, stating that Illinois has covers an area of 150, 010 squares miles would be a lie and obviously not virtuous. An effort to pursue the truth and gain knowledge is, therefore, a virtuous and right thing to do. However, an alternative to this exists and this is denying the truth or choosing what is wrong. These later Socrates termed as evil. Socrates says for example, “having knowledge is prerequisite for virtue,” rhetoric however, “is instead really a talent for persuading people not by arguing from knowledge or truth but by telling them what they want to hear” (Stauffer 33). In the modern world, politicians who point out at facts and figures have been shunned many times for the truth they stand for. More often than not, those who stand for bitter truths like the injustice America does in various military operations are shunned and condemned, however, they are virtuous as they present true positions and facts about the human rights violations done by American soldiers. On the other hand, there are those who have mastered the art of telling the people what is sweet to their ears. They shelve the truth which their audience sometimes do not like and present lies and intentionally distort facts and knowledge. These are considered evil, the audience who may know the truth but choose to deny it are also evil as was the view of Socrates on those who deny the truth.
The dialogue in Gorgias can be inferred to illustrate different contexts of the modern world but which had been the center of the dialogue in Plato’s Gorgias. It’s evident that the use of rhetoric has prevailed our political and social scenes than truth and knowledge, however, the society has always responded to rhetoric with applause without gaining any substantial information or understanding of its content. Plato’s Gorgias is so persuasive to modern audience since it mirrors what has dominated the society from his time up to date.
References
Stauffer, Devin. The Unity of Plato's' Gorgias': Rhetoric, Justice, and the Philosophic Life. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
