Abstract

This paper argues against the tendency to interpret Gorgias’ view of logos as a techne of persuasion which relies on opinion (doxa) and rests on deception either deliberately or incidentally in order to function. Rather, Gorgias appears to be making a connection between truthful speech (alethes logos) and correct speech (orthos logos). Gorgias’ insistence on correctness of speech surfaces not only in the Encomium of Helen, but also in the Funeral Oration fragment and in Agathon’s parody of Gorgianic rhetoric in Plato’s Symposium. Correct speech goes beyond the effectiveness of language and into the domain of ethical correctness and responsibility.

Journal
Rhetorica
Published
2006-03-01
DOI
10.1353/rht.2006.0015
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.