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The Use Of Rhetoric Language In The Works Of Socrates

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Plato is a practical philosopher in Classical Greece. He was strongly influenced by Socrates, whose intellectual phenomenon made him an apparent figure in Athens. Unfortunately, Socrates was intensified by Aristophanes and harassed by the state. As a unique leader of the youth, Socrates represented to Plato the pattern of a righteous man. In Plato’s 30 dialogues, he uses the dialectic method which had been the characteristic approach of Socrates. Like Socrates, Plato is interested no so much in assuring a definite position as in the virtues of a clear and reasonable inquiry. He also emphasized ethics rather than science; knowledge is not separable from virtue, and the good is also true. Plato is against rhetoric language similarly used by politicians and craftsmen, which is evident in his dialogues Apologia, Phaedrus, and Sophists. …show more content…

Socrates was put on trial for corrupting the youth and adopting an atheistic attitude towards the gods of the city. In the beginning of the dialogue, Socrates expresses how he does not like people that speak rhetorically. “But I know that they almost made me forget who I was—so persuasively did they speak; and yet they have hardly uttered a word of truth.” (Kaplan 5) Socrates exploits that the persuasive men that are against him do not speak the truth and are so persuasive that it makes Socrates even forget what kind of man he was. The Athenians even tell the judge to not be fooled by his “force of eloquence”. However, Socrates speaks nothing but the truth. “But from me you shall hear the whole truth: not however, delivered after their manner in a set oration duly ornamented with words and phrases.” (Kaplan 5) Socrates is a straight forward and honest man. He tells his side of the story with honesty and sarcastically calls the other side “appropriate speech”. Plato’s Apologia clearly demonstrates how Socrates dislikes rhetoric people because they often do not tell the

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