This lecture explores Plato's Gorgias and his warnings on rhetoric, how lies can foment power and how truth might still be spoken to it.
Rhetoric’s emergence in ancient Greece both animated and threatened public life, above all in Athens. A democracy that depended on frank speech had to confront new means of manipulation and deception.
Plato tackled this threat throughout his writings, especially in the Gorgias: a dialogue interrogating the new breed of professional rhetoricians and their political offspring. This lecture engages with Plato’s reflections on how lies can foment power; how power can exploit lies; and how speaking truth to power might nevertheless be possible.
A lecture by Professor Melissa Lane
This event is also available to watch live online. To register, visit: Plato on Truth, Lies and Power | Gresham College
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Highlights
- 1 hour
- In person
Location
Gresham College
Barnard's Inn Hall
Holborn London EC1N 2HH
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