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Gorgias
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Gorgias Paperback - 2004

by Plato; Walter Hamilton (Translator); Chris Emlyn-Jones (Translator)

Taking the form of a dialogue among Socrates, Gorgias, Polus, and Callicles, the Gorgias debates crucial questions about the nature of government. While the aspiring politician Callicles propounds the view that might is right, and the rhetorician Gorgias argues that oratory and the power to persuade represent 'the greatest good,' Socrates insists on the duty of politicians to consider the welfare of their citizens a duty he believed had been dishonored in the Athens of his time. The dialogue offers fascinating insights into how classical Athens was governed and creates a theoretical framework that has been highly influential on subsequent political debate.


Summary

Taking the form of a dialogue among Socrates, Gorgias, Polus, and Callicles, the Gorgias debates crucial questions about the nature of government. While the aspiring politician Callicles propounds the view that might is right, and the rhetorician Gorgias argues that oratory and the power to persuade represent “the greatest good,” Socrates insists on the duty of politicians to consider the welfare of their citizens—a duty he believed had been dishonored in the Athens of his time. The dialogue offers fascinating insights into how classical Athens was governed and creates a theoretical framework that has been highly influential on subsequent political debate.

  • A revised edition of Walter Hamilton's distinguished translation, with new editorial material
  • Includes chronology, glossary, index, and suggestions for further reading

From the publisher

The classic political dialogue, as relevant today as in Plato's time Taking the form of a dialogue between Socrates, Gorgias, Polus and Callicles, Gorgias debates perennial questions about the nature of government and those who aspire to public office. Are high moral standards essential or should we give our preference to the pragmatist who gets things done or negotiates successfully? Should individuals be motivated by a desire for personal power and prestige, or genuine concern for the moral betterment of the citizens? These questions go to the heart of Athenian democratic principles and are more relevant than ever in today's political climate. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Details

  • Title Gorgias
  • Author Plato; Walter Hamilton (Translator); Chris Emlyn-Jones (Translator)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Revised
  • Pages 155
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, London
  • Date June 29, 2004
  • ISBN 9780140449044 / 0140449043
  • Weight 0.36 lbs (0.16 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.78 x 5.1 x 0.52 in (19.76 x 12.95 x 1.32 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Reading level 1230
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: Ancient (To 499 A.D.)
  • Library of Congress subjects Political science, Ethics
  • Dewey Decimal Code 170

About the author

Plato (c. 427-347 B.C.) founded the Academy in Athens, the prototype of all Western universities, and wrote more than twenty philosophical dialogues. Walter Hamilton taught at Cambridge, Eton and Rugby and translated several Platonic texts for Penguin Classics. Chris Emlyn-Jones teaches in the department of Classical Studies at the Open University and has published on Homer and Plato.
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