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The Unity of the Gorgias

Thorne, Nicholas R. (2013) The Unity of the Gorgias. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This thesis aims to provide an interpretation of the Gorgias such that it can genuinely be grasped as a unity. That is, it will show that the formal structure of the dialogue is essentially related to the dialogue’s content, that every section of the dialogue can be seen to have a logical and necessary place within the whole, and also that every aspect of the dialogue, literary and argumentative, also has such a place. The fact that Plato has made the notion of a development or process central to every aspect of the dialogue – as, for example, we see a development from Gorgias through Polus to Callicles – must play an important role in our understanding of the work. From this perspective, many aspects of the Gorgias can be seen in a new light, so that this thesis presents an alternative view of the role of shame in the work; a new account of the place of Socrates within it, who does not receive an altogether flattering portrait from Plato; Callicles’ failure as a touchstone; a new account of the reason for Socrates’ failure to convince in this work; a new look at the role played by many of the arguments; and a new account of the way in which Plato speaks to the reader in this dialogue.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Thorne, Nicholas R.nrt10@pitt.eduNRT10
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee CoChairAllen, James V.jvallen@pitt.eduJVALLEN
Committee CoChairLennox, James G.jglennox@pitt.eduJGLENNOX
Committee MemberSmethurst, Maemsmet@pitt.eduMSMET
Committee MemberLooney, Dennislooney@pitt.eduLOONEY
Date: 17 October 2013
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 2 July 2013
Approval Date: 17 October 2013
Submission Date: 26 July 2013
Access Restriction: 5 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 5 years.
Number of Pages: 247
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Classics
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Plato, Gorgias, Ancient Philosophy
Date Deposited: 17 Oct 2013 20:46
Last Modified: 10 May 2024 05:15
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/19472

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