The epistemology of Gorgias’ rhetoric: A re‐examination

Abstract

Gorgias of Leontini acquired prominence as the title figure in Plato's Gorgias, but the biased characterization presented in this famous dialogue has resulted in a disservice to one of the most innovative theorists in the history of rhetoric. In this study, earlier research is conjoined with an examination of intellectual influences upon Gorgias and interpretative translations of his extant rhetorical fragments. The conclusions of this inquiry indicate that Gorgias developed theories of rhetoric which were predicated upon empirical sense‐perception, deception, probability and antithetical reasoning. The implications of these findings reveal that Gorgias had an epistemology of rhetoric that came from a well‐established philosophical tradition which opposed the basic tenets of Platonism.

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