Gorgias by Plato
Plato Gorgias' dialogue deals with rhetoric or the art of speaking. In a debate with Gorgias (a famous rhetorician, who teaches his students to speak well), his student Polus, and the rhetorician Callicles, Socrates attempts to establish what he believes is the right way to live and do philosophy a knowledge. it heals the soul, rather than the rhetoric, which only flatters it.
Gorgias begins with Socrates and Chairephon arriving late to a speech given by Gorgias. Socrates suggests he's not sorry he missed it; he opposes the conversation, which he prefers, to the one-sided discourse of rhetoricians. Gorgias boasts that he can turn anyone into a rhetorician. In dialogue with Gorgias, Socrates attacks rhetoric, claiming that it is not a legitimate branch of knowledge - all professions use speech, so what is the specific skill of rhetoric? They finally come to the conclusion that rhetoric is the art of establishing conviction in its listeners, especially in courtrooms and town halls. Therefore, rhetoricians deal with what is right and wrong, but it is possible for them to abuse their power - for example, by convincing a jury to let a guilty man free himself. Socrates says rhetoric is a form of flattery: it's the equivalent of baking pastries, which are nice to eat, but bad for you.
Socrates continues his conversation with Polus, addressing Gorgias' claim that rhetoricians are powerful because they can bend others to their will. Socrates argues that tyrants and rhetoricians are in fact the most unhappy and least powerful people in town. Socrates argues that doing wrong and not being punished (and thus showing the error of his ways) is tantamount to having an untreated disease in his body. Tyrants think that they are acting in their best interest by confiscating the property of others, when in fact they are acting against their own interests, for evil is harmful to their soul. It follows that it is worse to do wrong than to hurt yourself. It also follows that it is better to forgive your enemies, even go so far as to prevent them from being accused by the courts. Finally, Socrates argues, it follows that in order to be happy rhetoricians must accuse themselves and their families in court. Socrates' interlocutors assume he is joking.
At this point, Callicles steps in. He accuses Socrates of turning the world upside down - people should forgive their enemies and blame themselves in court. Socrates argues that while rhetoricians always change their minds based on the opinions of others, the philosophy remains the same. Callicles ignores this and maintains that there is nothing good in suffering badly. Evil is only bad because it damages one's reputation in the eyes of others. In nature, there is only strength and weakness. Nature rewards the strong and punishes the weak, and it is as it should. Kindness is when the strong are rewarded for their strength. Socrates emphasizes that, according to this logic, a mass of people would be "better" than an individual, because they are stronger. But this mass of individuals often passes laws that Callicles considers "weak" - for example, laws that require a property to be distributed equally. Socrates once again insists that simply following one's appetites causes unhappiness, not happiness.
Having reached a dead end with Callicles, Socrates argues with himself. The purpose of philosophy is to tell us what is true and good, not what is pleasant. Socrates agrees with Callicles' prediction that, if he was ever brought to court, he would be unable to prevent the prosecutor from putting him to death. He reflects on the myth that in the Hereafter all souls are judged naked. He believes that if one is righteous and righteous, one can stand proudly at this judgment.
