Plato ; translated by Walter Hamilton and Chris Emlyn-Jones ; introduction, commentary and notes by Chris Emlyn-Jones
Revised edition
New York :
Penguin,
2004
155 pages ;
20 cm
Penguin classics
Includes bibliographical references (pages xxxviii-xlii) and index
"Taking the form of a dialogue between Socrates, Gorgias, Polus and Callicles, the Gorgias debates crucial questions about the nature of government. While the aspiring politician Callicles propounds the view that might is right, and the rhetorician Gorgias argues that oratory and the power to persuade represent 'the greatest good', Socrates insists on the duty of politicians to consider the welfare of their citizens--a duty he believed had been dishonoured in the Athens of his time. The dialogue offers fascinating insights into how classical Athens was governed, as well as creating a theoretical framework that has been highly influential on subsequent political debate"--Cover page 4