Some gleanings from Plato’s Gorgias

In Pakistan we suffer from intense negativity which is not conducive to building a healthy and prosperous society

In his celebrated dialogues, Plato considered many diverse fundamental questions. He examined them through a process of rigorous reasoning. In the dialogue Gorgias he dealt with some perennial phenomena of politics.

In section C [10] of this dialogue Socrates asks Callicles whether Pericles, Cimon, Miltiades and Themistocles were good citizens or not. Upon receiving a reply in the affirmative, Socrates mentions that at the beginning of his career Pericles’ reputation was high and no sentence for disgraceful conduct was ever passed on him by the Athenians. As people they were, at that time, worse than they subsequently became. Yet, when Pericles converted the Athenians to virtuous ways towards the end of his life, they convicted him of embezzlement and nearly condemned him to death. “Did not the people whom he was caring for ostracise him for 10 years? And they did the same to Themistocles punishing him with exile. As for Miltiades they threw him into a pit for criminals.”

In order to give a flavour of the dialogue, a couple of quotations may be in order:

“I believe that I am one of the few Athenians — perhaps the only one — who studies the true political art and that I alone of my contemporaries put it into practice. Because what I say on any occasion is not designed to please nor is it offered as a defence in a court of law.” (521e)

“And if it is alleged against me that I ruin young people by reducing them to a state of helpless doubt, or that I insult their elders by bitter criticism, then presumably I shall have no alternative but to submit to my fate, whatever it may be.” (522c)

“The mere act of dying has no terror for anyone who is not completely without sense and courage. It is wrongdoing that is to be feared.” (522e)

As in today’s world, the ancient Greek public felt that effective oratory is the key to political power. Plato strongly opposed sophistry and oratory in politics. He maintained that the only true power is that which aims at the good. Since orators and tyrants are basically ignorant, they are invariably misled about their own real interests and about the interests of the citizens as well.

When asked about the nature of oratory, Socrates states that it is merely a knack and is not guided by rationality. The object of oratory is to persuade people in front of large public gatherings. It is conducted more or less entirely through speech. Opposing the orator and the sophist is the seeker of truth. Plato urges the practice of righteousness and virtue and the pursuit of truth and goodness at all times. His overriding aim is to examine how a person should live his life. How one should live is really a matter of life and death — as was the case for Socrates himself when he submitted his fate to the hands of the Athenian court. His declamation on that occasion is an unparalleled and glorious testament in the entire annals of mankind.

The conclusion to be drawn from this is that the person who does the most for his people is often dragged down and punished. Excellence is often curbed by mediocrity and sophistry.

On a lesser scale, we often see today individual examples of rare persons who fight for principles instead of succumbing to baseness.

In Pakistan we suffer from intense negativity. We do not want someone to be rich or successful but would rather mow him down for perverse pleasure. Such negativity is not conducive to building a healthy and prosperous society.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2018.

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