"Socrates' Encounter with Polus in Plato's "Gorgias
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3939601 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Curtis N Johnson (0000-0002-9719-3771, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1989 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 196 |
| Publication date | 1989-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Phoenix (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8299 • E-ISSN: 1929-4883 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/1088457 |
| OpenAlex | W2323180358 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
OF THOSE WITH WHOM SOCRATES DEBATES in the Gorgias Polus is the one most difficult to take seriously. Next to the other two chief characters in the dialogue Polus appears inconsequential. Gorgias is of course an eminent and renowned orator and sophist; if his reputation for great speech were not enough to deserve the earnest attention of Socrates (not to mention that of the small audience assembled), his age-he was about 80 at the time of this conversation-would have been. Callicles, though unknown apart from the vivid portrait of him in this dialogue, defends a view of natural justice and the successful life of hedonism which has earned him a place of some importance in the sophistic movement. Polus, by contrast, has little to commend him. He is portrayed by Plato as young, too eager, and so seemingly quite careless and naive in argument. Nor does he appear to have much of interest to say. Socrates frequently mocks him and he has found little sympathy among the commentators. It is no part of my aim here to dispute the conventional view. I do wish to argue, however, that closer attention needs to be paid to some of the interchange between Socrates and Polus for the light it sheds on Plato's motives and tactics in designing a dialogue of this kind.' Generally, one might say that in this dialogue Plato wishes to establish the superiority of the life of virtue (as he understands it) over other lives. In particular he must defend the superiority of acting justly over the kind of successful hedonism and power-seeking defended by Callicles. Plato's success in making this case depends (in part at least) on showing Socrates' superiority
Epistemology · SOCRATES · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,11 |
| Citation span | 1990 - 2022 (33) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |