The Gorgias by Plato. - HTML preview

62

Platos Gorgias

SOCRATES: Then rhetoric does not treat of all kinds of SOCRATES: And does not gymnastic also treat of discourse discourse?

concerning the good or evil condition of the body?

GORGIAS: Certainly not.

GORGIAS: Very true.

SOCRATES: And yet rhetoric makes men able to speak?

SOCRATES: And the same, Gorgias, is true of the other arts:all of them treat of discourse concerning the subjects GORGIAS: Yes.

with which they severally have to do.

SOCRATES: And to understand that about which they GORGIAS: Clearly.

speak?

SOCRATES: Then why, if you call rhetoric the art which GORGIAS: Of course.

treats of discourse, and all the other arts treat of discourse, do you not call them arts of rhetoric?

SOCRATES: But does not the art of medicine, which we were just now mentioning, also make men able to under-GORGIAS: Because, Socrates, the knowledge of the other stand and speak about the sick?

arts has only to do with some sort of external action, as of the hand; but there is no such action of the hand in rhetoric GORGIAS: Certainly.

which works and takes effect only through the medium of discourse. And therefore I am justified in saying that rheto-SOCRATES: Then medicine also treats of discourse?

ric treats of discourse.

GORGIAS: Yes.

SOCRATES: I am not sure whether I entirely understand you, but I dare say I shall soon know better; please to an-SOCRATES: Of discourse concerning diseases?

swer me a question:you would allow that there are arts?

GORGIAS: Just so.

GORGIAS: Yes.