Plato's Gorgias: Dismantling Philosophy?

Question 1

13 What is Callicles’ argument against ‘Philosophy’ in the Gorgias? Who does Callicles resemble in the Republic and why? What are the political and social implications when philosophy wins influence in public debate? Conversely, what is threatened when ‘philosophy’ is undermined?

Answer 1

• Philosophy is for weaklings/children: philosophy is NOMOS and PHYSIS is ‘might makes right’
• Callilces resembles Thrasymachus in the Republic: both argue ‘might makes right’ BUT Thrasymachus is humiliated and defeated by Socrates whereas Callicles doesn’t get defeated
• If philosophy is the discovery of physis, with enough education, enlightenment, and people coming out of the cave, we can have a good, just, and moral political and social society
• However, if philosophy is merely nomos and ‘might makes right’ (sophistry) is physis, philosophy is being exposedfor weakness. In the real world we are ruled by Callicles and Roger Stone
• This makes us consider: is democracy only nomos and tyranny physis? If so, is philosophy what keeps the nomos in power over physis?

Question 2

Callicles’ Argument against philosophy (3):

Answer 2

“philosophy is for wealkings/children”

• “doing what’s unjust is more shameful than suffering it?” please Socrates. The weak suffer what they must: slaves suffer injustice, and a slave is better dead than alive.
• philosophy is delightful but a person should pursue it in moderation because too much of it can become a man’s undoing. Too much of it would make a man inexperienced in civic law, speech, business, human pleasures - in the ways of human beings all together
• A child is learning philosophy? good! A grown man? he deserves a flogging. he should know better.

Question 3

What is the best kind of life for Callicles?

Answer 3

The best kind of life is self-centred, powerful, dominant, and hedonistic. That’s the best kind of life in physis, and the values that philosophy offers such as virtue, morality, justice, goodness don’t mean much in the real world.

Question 4

What’s Callilces’ tactic for trying to win Socrates in this debate?

Answer 4

Callicles only cares about winning & doesn’t care if he’s contradicting himself even though Socrates is trying to answer him logically.

Question 5

Who does Callicles resemble from the Republic?

Answer 5

Callicles resembles Thrasymachus in the Republic. Both argue might make right and challenge the intrinsic value of justice/morality/goodness. However, in the Republic, Thrasymachus is humiliated and defeated by Socrates’ argument whereas in Gorgias, Plato doesn’t put a dagger into sophistry and lets Callicles take over.

Question 6

What are the political and social implications when philosophy wins influence in public debate?

Answer 6

If philosophy can prove itself to be physis, then with enough education, enlightenment, and people coming out of the cave, we can naturally as a society politically and socially live justly, morally, and pursue the good.

Question 7

what is threatened when ‘philosophy’ is undermined?

Answer 7

Philosophy becomes threatened when it is put in the NOMOS category and Callicles’ “might makes right” (sophistry) becomes physis. Then, philosophy is being exposed for weakness because in the real world, it doesn’t have much effect and we’re ruled by people like Callilces and Roger Stone: “You don’t like me? I’m morally wrong? Who cares. I’m effective.”

Question 8

what does the physis vs nomos debate regarding philosophy make us consider?

Answer 8

is democracy only nomos and tyranny is physis? If so, is philosophy what keeps the nomos in power over physis?
Also, is philosophy merely sophistry in disguise?