Exam 3: Plato Vs the Sophists: Rhetoric on Trial

What criteria must a pursuit satisfy in order to be considered a techne by Plato?

What does it mean to say that Plato believed in the complexity of the soul? Briefly, how does this belief influence the view of rhetoric and its goal as advanced in his dialogue, Phaedrus?

Do you agree with Socrates that rhetoric works best "among the ignorant"? Does the quality of an audience govern the quality of the rhetoric it is likely to hear?

What is the specific role assigned to a true art of rhetoric by Plato in Phaedrus?

Provide the term for the following definitions: -Greek term employed by Plato to mean a mere belief, as contrasted to true knowledge.

Do you think that Plato has a point when he suggests in Phaedrus that there are different types of human souls dominated by the different things they love? Is his psychology too simple, or does he perhaps have an insight?

In Phaedrus Plato suggests there might be a true art of rhetoric. If so, what goal would that art seek, and how would it pursue that goal? What sorts of knowledge would the practitioner of the true art of rhetoric have to master? Finally, in what way could Plato's myth of the charioteer be understood as a metaphor for his theory of a true art of rhetoric?

A great concern of Plato's was that because rhetoric was not founded in true justice it would corrupt young people as well as the ________________, the Greek term for the city-state.

Identified by their characteristic loves, what are the various types of souls Plato discusses in Phaedrus?

Provide the term for the following definitions: -Greek term for the mind or soul.

Based on your reading of this chapter and Chapter 2, has Plato been fair to the Sophists? Does he have a good argument against them?

Which of the following metaphors did Plato use to communicate his idea that one part of the soul should control the other two in order for the soul to enjoy peace and happiness?

Plato defined rhetoric as "the art of influencing the soul through words," but condemned rhetoric as a "knack" in Gorgias. Is it possible to resolve the tension between Plato's suggestions about a true art of rhetoric in Phaedrus, and his condemnation of it in Gorgias. Can the philosopher hold both views without contradicting himself?

What were Plato's strongest objections in Gorgias to rhetoric as practiced by the Sophists?

Plato's dialogues Gorgias and Phaedrus are discussed in Chapter Three. Briefly describe the view of rhetoric advanced by the character Socrates in each dialogue.

Why is Plato concerned about the difference between mere belief and true knowledge, particularly concerning the issues of justice?

What is Plato's general argument against the Sophists in his dialogue Gorgias? About which aspect of sophistic rhetoric is he apparently most concerned? What, specifically, does Plato mean by his peculiar comparison of rhetoric to cooking? Would Plato's argument against sophistic rhetoric work equally well against all forms of rhetoric? Explain your answer.

Which of the following terms was used by both Gorgias and Plato to describe a view of rhetoric as an art of "influencing the soul"?

Plato suggests in Gorgias that certain arts such as justice and medicine are essential to society. Others, such as the Sophist's brand of rhetoric, are imitations of these essential arts. If you had the opportunity to set up a society's system of government, what role, if any, would the study of rhetoric play in it? Would you place any restrictions on the practice of this art?

The earliest use of the Greek term rhetorike, from which we get the word rhetoric, is found in Gorgias, leading some to believe that Plato coined the term.