Socrates' Political Science: Theory and Practice, A Study of Socrates' Methods in Plato’s Gorgias and Apology of Socrates
Description
In this essay, I explore a claim that Socrates makes in Plato’s Gorgias where he professes to be the only true practitioner of the political art in Athens, the only true statesman. I argue that the Gorgias enables readers to have a greater understanding of how Socrates conceives his own purpose and relationship with Athens as a practitioner of the “true science of politics” as he calls it and as a skilled user of what he develops as the "true art of rhetoric." This ennobling art of rhetoric, which Socrates professes to be a practitioner of, is opposed to the sycophantic and flattering art propagated by Gorgias and others. Furthermore, I argue that the view of rhetoric and politics that Socrates develops in the Gorgias serves as a foundation for his actions and statements in the Apology of Socrates.
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2022
Agent
- Author (aut): Maratea, Anthony Michael
- Thesis advisor (ths): Sheehan, Colleen
- Thesis advisor (ths): Doody, John
- Committee member: Zuckert, Catherine
- Publisher (pbl): Arizona State University