Commentary #2 (Gorgias)

Don't Blame Rhetoric!


No offense, Socrates, but blaming Rhetoric for the ills of mankind just doesn’t make sense.

In Gorgias, you speak of Rhetoric as if she were a lying, conniving manipulator. You say she is a fake and a flatterer who doesn’t care about representing reality. You portray her as artless, irrational, and self-serving. In fact, you compare her work to “cookery,” a tasty but useless concoction that pretends to be something it is not.

However, your criticisms of this lady seem harsh and narrow-minded. The Rhetoric I know is genuine, honest, and real. Her talent is in a useful art, and she offers it to all who are interested in learning it. Yes, she is she smart – and often a smart-aleck – and powerful, too, but she does not force or even encourage evil actions. You seem offended that the Sophists have drawn from Rhetoric to build profitable teaching careers. Well, Socrates, not all of them were born with silver spoons in their mouths; and most people need to earn money to pay their bills.

Your tangent for blaming dear Rhetoric for the evil actions of corrupt orators who have misused her tools is ridiculous. After all, would one blame a loving mother, who has patiently taught her preschooler how to lace and tie his own shoes, for the mischief he performs later, secretly, when he ties his daddy’s shoes together, in a knot? Surely not.

Socrates, you have stated that honorable people are happy and that wicked people are wretched. You also maintain that “doing wrong is fouler than suffering it.” If both are true, then you can be sure that Rhetoric is a happy camper, perhaps even strengthened by the blows you and other philosophers have inflicted upon her.
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