Gorgias

by Plato, Chris Emlyn-Jones (Editor), Walter Hamilton (Translator)

Overview

Taking the form of a dialogue between Socrates, Gorgias, Polus and Callicles, GORGIAS debates perennial questions about the nature of government and those who aspire to public office.

Are high moral standards essential or should we give our preference to the pragmatist who gets things done or negotiates successfully? Should individuals be motivated by a desire for personal power and prestige, or genuine concern for the moral betterment of the citizens?

These questions go to the heart of Athenian democratic principles and are more relevant than ever in today's political climate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141914060
Publisher:	Penguin UK
Publication date:	01/29/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	573,140
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Walter Hamilton taught at Cambridge, Eton and Rugby and translated several Platonic texts for Penguin.

Chris Emlyn-Jones teaches in the department of Classical Studies at the Open University and has published on Homer and Plato.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgements	vii
	Reference System Used in this Edition	ix
	Chronology	xi
	Introduction	xiii
	Further Reading	xxxviii
	A Note on the Text	xliii
A	Dialogue With Gorgias	3
B	Dialogue With Polus	27
C	Dialogue With Callicles	64
	Notes	139
	Glossary of Greek Terms	151
	Index	153

Editorial Reviews

"The admired qualities of Dodds's works, a scholarship both exact and deep, an economy and lucidity in exposition (Dodds has few rivals in saying much in the fewest words with absolute clarity), and an immense level-headedness and sobriety which combined with the sharpest acumen and independence of judgment in the handling of evidence is never seduced by the charm of fantasy, all these once more characterize his edition of the Gorgias."—Philosophical Quarterly

"Professor Dodds's fine edition (which both overhauls the manuscript tradition and supplies a commentary as wide ranging as it is perspicacious) fills a gap untouched in this country since 1890....The Gorgias should have a special appeal to contemporary students, and to historians no less than philosophers."—Times Literary Supplement

From the Publisher