Gorgias “Encomium on Helen”

Brief Background on Sophists

• The sophists existed in an oral culture, professed to teach the art of virtue, or excellence. This excellence was political as well as moral, so a great part of the training dealt with the use of the spoken word.
• Most of the sophists were non-Athenian, and traveled to earn their living.
• although theyhad some gernal features in common, they ascribed to no central authority--formed no particular movement or school
• Kairos was a key sophistic concept. It is the full, present context, the speaker, audience and the moment. The sophists taught students to grasp the situation, to manage the situation and turn it to their purposes.
• one of the questions of importance was: does ecxcellence in sociey come from nature or by teaching and training

Criticisms/Critiques:

• The sophists were commonly charged with possessing "cleverness" the ability to turn an argument.
• Plato, in particular, criticized them for being argumentative--arguing for the sake of argument and not interested in the search for truth; teaching in an authoratative rhetorical fashion--delivering their speeches but not answering questions; denying absolute value of morality; and for claimn to know what they did not know.
• Aristotle criticized them for self contradicition and shallowness of thought

Sophists We’ll Read or Read About:
Protagoras:

• the first to charge for his services as a teacher of political virtue.
• famous for asserting that "Man is the measure of all things," a relativistic and humanistic position. Thus, sophistry is associated with appearances (as opposed to reality).
• Also known for his concept of dissoi logoi (Gk. "different words"), the idea that there are two contradictory sides to every issue.
• would have his students practice giving arguments on both sides. These exercises in declamation were supposed to be so effective as to render the student capable of "making the weaker cause appear the stronger," another of Protagoras' supposed claims. This theory, and the practice that grew out of it, became an issue in the debates between Socrates and the sophists, as we will see.

Gorgias of Leontini:

• "The Sophist"
• came to Athens from his Sicilian home in 427 B.C. as an ambassador.
• set up a school in Athens, teaching such subjects as ethics, civic duty, and public speaking.
• Information about and knowledge of his workis very limited. None of his texts are extant, so all that we have is quoted material.
• is associated with the "Gorgianic style," a way of speaking that attempts to raise the level of spoken prose (an approach that would have a great impact in a non-literate, oral culture): "I shall not relate the story of who won Helen or how." Gorgianic style combines a metrical, lyrical delivery with complex clausal structures to produce a somewhat sing-song quality: "A passion that loved conquest and a love of honor that was unconquered" (here we see an example of the figure chiasmus).
  

Gorgias of Leontini:

"On Being" or "On Nature."

• nihilistic skepticism. Nothing exists, he claims. Of, if it did, it would be incomprehensible. Or, if is in comprehensible, it would be incommunicable.
• Some scholars see a direct connection between this ontology and epistemology and the rhetorical principles that follow from it. If nothing exists and we can't know it or share the knowledge if it did, then the only reality we can know is that which we create through discourse.
• However, "On Being" may also be read as a sophistic exercise. It may have been a playful exhibition of Gorgias' cleverness

"Encomium on Helen"

• was a show speech, a way to attract students to his school.
• point of the speech is moot; after all, Helen is long dead.
• text is highly organized in a tight, logical sequence.
• Most importantly, Gorgias claims seductive powers for language.
• Words are seen as having incantatory and narcotic effects on an audience.
• Even the divine is subject to the power of speech.
• Words are like wizardry, and persuasion is akin to abduction by force.
• imagine how this would appeal to prospective students, young men eager to hone their persuasive abilities.
• imagine too how Athenians grew suspicious of the sophists, worrying that they were corrupting the youth.

Gorgias's Encomium on Helen is important as

• an example of Sophistic oratory;
• an example of Sophistic pedagogy (in that Gorgias is reported to have taught by example rather than by precept); and as
• a statement of the Sophistic belief in the power, or force of language to lead the mind (