Lessons from Gorgias

What are contemporary applications or lessons you could apply from the work of Gorgias in your own life?

The particular contemporary application I draw from Encomium of Helen is one related to critical thinking. Gorgias was willing to view a commonly accepted idea from a different perspective. Gorgias was surrounded by a unified perspective of Helen’s relationship with Paris (Alexander); yet, he was willing to voice an alternative narrative, an argument exonerating her. Though unpopular, his reasons were sound, or at least as sound as the arguments condemning her.   

The second contemporary application I can draw from Gorgias is to wrestle with tensions and paradoxes, understanding that language—more than any other vehicle—can get me close to having wisdom, but that language is also a barrier to knowing truth. The tension between harmony and discord can be resolved through language. As TCR-ers, we probably all believe this in large measure; otherwise, what are we doing here? Plato criticizes Gorgias’s emphasis on style, but it seems from the texts we read, that Gorgias valued reason, but enjoyed the challenge and amusement of decoration in written and oratory arts.

I like satire (everything from Jonathan Swift to John Stewart), so maybe I read Gorgias through that lens, but it seems like his claim to be able to speak ornamentally, even persuasively, on any subject familiar or unfamiliar isn’t as egotistical as it is accusing. Gorgias saying, “Hey, look what I can do,” translates into, “Be careful, look what others could be doing too.”

Aside from rhetoric, we can learn a thing or two about living long and well from Gorgias. The MKH book suggests he lived to be 105 because he avoided excess (except in speech). However, I like to think we could attribute his longevity to the fact that he was enjoying life, getting a big kick out of ruffling feathers and making waves. That, or—since, as an itinerant, he didn’t pay taxes—he simply didn’t accept that the whole death and taxes thing applied to him until one day… it did. I have to think the guy was just having a damn lot of fun playing with words and poking his finger in the eye of conformity.

Also, share at least one useful link about Classical Rhetoric and why it's useful.

I initially thought I would offer rhetoric.byu.edu or The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy for my site because they are the two I depend on most for getting a quick primer on vocab/concepts/philosophers, but I noticed they’re both already on Dr. Rice’s list, so I had to go a-hunting. Sadly, I didn’t find any sites that I would recommend above BYU’s or Standford’s that weren’t also on Dr. Rice’s list, so the site I’ll submit is YouTube. Lame, I know! But, hear me out. Lately, I’ve been watching everything from short animated clips to long university lectures on rhetoric while I’m on the treadmill or stationary bike at the gym. Jon Hoffman’s lectures are particularly good, but even student PowerPoints sometimes surprise me. While the content on YouTube doesn’t meet the academic standard to which most of us are accustomed, it does put the material in an easy-to-gnaw-on vocabulary (and, as an extra bonus, we get to actually hear some of the words and names that are tricky to pronounce). Getting information in multiple formats and styles reinforces the concepts and promotes memory.