Gorgias and Rhetoric

by Plato, Aristotle, Joe Sachs

This text contains English translations of Gorgias and Rhetoric, which, by juxtaposing the two texts, creates an interesting "conversation" is illuminated one which students of philosophy and rhetoric will find key in their analytical pursuits. If in the Gorgias Plato probes the question of what is problematic in rhetoric, in Rhetoric, Aristotle's response to Plato continues the thread by looking at what makes rhetoric useful. This text also includes an outstanding introductory essay.
Focus Philosophical Library translations are close to and are non-interpretative of the original text, with the notes and a glossary intending to provide the reader with some sense of the terms and the concepts as they were understood by Aristotle and Plato’s immediate audience.

Genres: Philosophy

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2008

About the author

Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

Reviews

[Marcela]

Great edition. The notes are very helpful to see the connections—which otherwise I would have totally missed—between these two works.

[Noah Torrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best dialogue I’ve read…it’s like a condensed and more entertaining version of the republic that only deals with the ‘good life’

I’m going to give it a lovely not because I enjoyed it the same as I would enjoy a more modern novel but bc it was fire the the seminar I did for it was even more fire, although Im worried it will look pretentious

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewing any book quantitatively is weirdly perverse, not unlike yelp reviews of national parks. That being said, the Sachs translation successfully brings out the playful and biting irony of the Socratic dialogue. Some of the vernacular language is already slightly dated, but has a few more years before it will need to be updated.

[Michael Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plato's discussion of the nature of conversation, argumentation, and the Socratic standard

[Trey Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great work gets a great translator. One of the things I loved about this book is that Aristotle does argue that if you have two equally well reasoned arguments, the truth will win out. But you have to be able to make it so people can see that. This is a great tool to get the truth out there and to give your words the flourish they need to effectively convey your message.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good modernized translations of two important works in classical rhetoric.