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Skepticiam of Gorgias
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Paul Jang
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2008-03-17 00:51:28, hit : 3,574 |
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Gorgias' Skepticism
(Abstract, M.A. in Philosophy)
Park, Seung-Kwonersity
Dpt. of Philosophy of Graduate School
at Yon Se University
This thesis was focused on the interpretation of the arguments of Gorgias regarding his philosophical thought as skepticism. He was a sophist and a monk in the fifth century B.C. It is very valuable to study the thought of Gorgias, a great sophist because he has left his great works such as On not being, Encomium of Helen, and Defence on behalf of Palamedes.
In this thesis the writer is going to especially deal with the aspect of skepticism, and he also thinks that it is necessary to grasp the spiritual features of Greece in the fifth century prior to the study of Gorgias in order to exclude some bias against the sophist of general history of philosophy, because his skepticism gives a priority to language communication.
The spirit of Greek philosophy is based on the relativism as the Greek myths and the wise had shown. This relativism had been born again to the anthropology which did not need of a mythical evidence at the time of Protagoras. The difference between the skepticism of Gorgias and the Protagoras should be certainly clarified in comparison with the Eleatic philosophy.
The relativism of Protagoras extended the Eleatic philosophy in which recognized the only affirmative statement, to the relative affirmation, while the skepticism of Gorgias did preferably propose the skeptic situation showing that the negative statement had the same possibility as the affirmative one.
The relation of the skepticism to Platonism also has to be considered in order to study the philosophy of Gorgias, because it is very difficult to understand the historical context of philosophy unless grasping the relation of the skepticism to Platonism in case of dealing with the theme of an ancient philosophy.
The differences of Protagoras, Gorgias and Socrates one another could be made clear by the study of the thought of Protagoras, Meno and Gorgias, in which they had the same theme that was the possibility of virtue education, a major issue in the fifth century B.C.
Protagoras' argument differs from the research methodology of Socrates. But they don't have a great difference ideologically in the very viewpoint that they agree to the possibility of virtue education, and the unity of knowledge and deed. Nevertheless Gorgias did not agree with Socrates because he insisted that the possibility of education was a skill, as it were speaking skill. The skepticism laughed at the virtue, and his rhetorics aimed at the persuasion against the other. Because he did not try to realize something good.
The propositions and arguments of On not being, the work of Gorgias have the typical factors of skepticism. First of all, the first proposition, "that nothing is" has an opposite character of word (logos), accordingly it shows why can't be still decided. The second proposition, "that if anything is it is unknowable" is skeptical about the cognition which is a process coming into a knowledge.
As thinking is not superior to feeling but different each other, so object and recognition cannot be the same as something like that. Such a heterogeneity makes us not be able to understand the accuracy of cognition. The last proposition is "that if anything is and is knowable, it can not be conveyed to others." And Gorgias thinks that language (logos) is fundamentally more important than the cognition, and he proposes the problem of the delivery which is a basic function of the language.
In consequence, language is different to ones each other, and so it makes clear that our words cannot be delivered as the same meaning exactly, therefore it has shown that the speech function cannot achieve the original goal, so to speak delivery. Gorgias has rather developed a new affirmation as rhetoric display (Epideictic) accepting the indispensability of life and language than he has overcome such a skeptical situation.
Gorgias' rhetorical address, Encomium of Helen for which was written in order to remove his dishonor has four arguments related to some philosophical problems. First of all, the argument according to the superiority of energy which is a principle of nature deals with the aspect of physis, and the argument dealing with the relation between barbarian and culture deals with Nomos. The third argument is very important, that is to say about the word (logos).
In his argument, Gorgias argues about the absolute power of word, and he insists that it is not realized by truth but by faith. And also as far as word is faith, its function is absolutely persuasive. In the last part of his address, he discloses that the word which gives only such a faith and persuasion must finally return to the speaker as an amusement.
Cartesian skepsis turned toward an ego concept. In the viewpoint of skepsis, Descartes turned toward his own dogmatism again through the skepticism. But he used the skepsis for the purpose of finding ego, and then he abolished it. And also David Hume who had kept the thorough skepsis, tried to overcome the skepsis and to make sure of the true knowledge in consequence through a sort of naturalism depending upon the energy of nature. But such a modern skepsis has nothing to do with the critique and mental ataraxia for a dogmatism which is the object of skepticism. As Gorgias' skepsis has shown, so skepticism must show skepsis itself as an object, and recognize its limitation.
Gorgias' skepticism shows that our knowledge remains undecided, and cognitive function cannot agree with the object itself. And it also shows that the word (logos) cannot be delivered exactly as well. Especially the third argument is the problem of communication having been dealt with the most fundamental object.
Gorgias disclosed that we could not help failing to deliver the exact meaning, and that he gave himself attention to one side character of word. This one-sided view of Gorgias did not overcome but affirmed the skepticism. Therefore it is said that Gorgias' word is a faith, a persuasion, and an amusement.
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Introduction
Theology 