Although there are various definitions of the word "rhetoric," we can say that it is the art of persuasion. This includes written as well as spoken persuasion, and would include propaganda, advertising, etc. Originally, however, it referred to spoken persuasion.By "classical" it is meant the time fr...

Closing Arguments offer the last chance for the lawyer to speak to the court, and represents an effort to impress upon what is important to the jury members before it deliberates. Closing arguments review the evidence presented and sum up for the court what the case has been about and why the case ...

Gorgias October 9, 2001 Ethics 112 Grier Socrates is obsessed with the idea of justice, especially as it pertains to knowledge. In the Gorgias, justice is discussed as it pertains to oratory as well as what constitutes greater injustice, committing or suffering, and punishment and just...

The methods of argument used by Socrates in the works of Plato focused on actual knowledge. This method, known as the Socratic Method, is unconventional. It is not a means of argument through persuasion or opinion, but rather a tool of view through question and challenge. The method considers knowl...

Techne is the Greek work for art. Today, art is known for having no rules or boundaries. In ancient Athenian times, art was a practiced and technical skill. In the Gorgias by Plato, the art of rhetoric is defined, but not practiced. According to Plato, rhetoric is used to delegate power, justice, an...

Socrates in 399 B.C. is in court to defend himself against two accusations brought by three prosecutors: Meletus, Lycon, and Anytus. The first was that he does not believe in the Gods of the city but in others. The second was that he corrupts the youth. He was judged by 501 men chosen at random in ...

A Man of Honor? Socrates was an incredible man of mystery. He was one of the first philosophers who had strange but knowledgeable beliefs. He was ridiculed for his thoughts and was taken to court by Meletus on account for not believing in the Gods, which the city believed in, and for corruptin...

In the magnificent minds of Glaucon and Socrates exists two different views concerning the relationship between happiness and morality. Glaucon is of the persuasion that happiness only comes to those who get the highest degree of emotional and physical desires satisfied, even at the sacrifice of th...

Response II: The Crito As I read The Crito it seems to me a confusing and somewhat muddled dialogue. The difficulty Plato faced in composing the dialogue was to somehow justify Socrates' decision to stay in prison rather than try to escape after his wrongful conviction. Plato had to draw out a d...

Socratic philosophy has two divine sources because it questions the meaning of a conventional Athenian god. This questioning makes two opposing sides, the diamonic voice vs. Apollo's oracle. Socrates begins his defense speech justifying the fact that he will tell the truth "by Zeus...

SOCRATES Socrates turned the Greeks attention towards questions of ethics and virtue and away from those of the heavenly bodies. He spent much time in the Agora or marketplace where he held conversations with the people. He believed that the real truth could be found out through thought and colla...

In the beginning of Plato's work entitled Gorgias, he writes of a dialog between Socrates and Gorgias. In this dialog, philosopher Socrates meets with rhetorician Gorgias to discuss the true meaning of the art of rhetoric. Rhetoric is a term that is defined strongly on whom you are asking to defin...

Before the 6th century, scientific theories were mostly based on gods, and not fact, but this came to an end when early Greek scientists started to research science. This new era of science started with Democritus who stated that all things are made of atoms. Then it moved to Parmenides who state...

Many of Plato's exchanges in Gorgias are full of anger, misunderstanding, and cutting rhetoric. The intent of these exchanges are to distinguish rhetoric from philosophy. According to Socrates, the difference between the two is that rhetoric is a verbal performance meant to create praise or blame, v...

Many have struggled to answer the question: "What is justice?" In The Republic, Plato strives to do just that, using the conversations between several characters in order to search for the true meaning of justice within an individual. What truly makes a person "just?" Through an analysi...

Rene Descartes asserts that our most fundamental beliefs are uncertain, and consequently, all beliefs resting on these basics are also uncertain. In his First Mediation, he sets out to determine which beliefs are certain and which are doubtful. Descartes applied illusion argument, dreaming argument,...

CritoBy PlatoPlato's Crito takes place after Socrates is condemned to death and sitting in his jail cell. Crito is Socrates' good friend and has come to visit Socrates in the hopes of convincing his old friend to escape. But Socrates logically refutes Crito's argument. Crito begins his argument by b...

Some of the best sources of information about Socrates' philosophical views are the early dialogues of his student Plato, who tried to provide a faithful picture of the methods and teachings of the great master. The Apology is one of the many-recorded dialogues about Socrates. It is about how S...

It is clear in "Crito" that Plato is holding Socrates up on a pedestal. There is a reason that Plato does this. He is trying to teach the reader a lesson on human values, with Socrates as the epitome of a model citizen. The question of what Plato is trying to teach is where I will begin my inquir...

CritoBy PlatoPlato's Crito takes place after Socrates is condemned to death and sitting in his jail cell. Crito is Socrates' good friend and has come to visit Socrates in the hopes of convincing his old friend to escape. But Socrates logically refutes Crito's argument. Crito begins his argument by b...

In my opinion, Socrates seems to display two strategies when he is engaged in discussions within his dialogues. The first is to show that he interlocutor has contradictory beliefs and the second is for the other to appear ignorant. These methods cause two dilemmas, the first being one of ignorance...

In what sense and how far is the genius master of his madness? For it goes without saying that to a certain degree he is master of it, since otherwise he would be actually a madman. For suchobservations, however, ingenuity in a high degree is requisite, and love; for to make observation upon a super...

I do not believe the practices of our current public education reflect the aims of "Philosophy on education" from Plato to Dewey because of the Context Statement and questions Rorty ask in The Ruling History of Education. What are the directions and limits of public education in a liberal...

The significance of lying in American politics. The Americans, as a people do a lot of lying. America's currentpolitical system is overflowing with deception and corruption. However,the deception and corruption is presented to the public in such a way fromthe most respected and ...