Assignment 2: Gorgias (Felicia)

While the book is mainly composed of flowing dialogue, what caught my attention were random phrases throughout the book that encapsulate deep and meaningful concepts. In commenting that “…the greatest of all misfortunes is to do wrong”, Socrates raises an interesting point in arguing that it is worse to do wrong than to suffer wrong. In life, we often bemoan the fact that evil people always seem to succeed. Yet Socrates offers a radical opposition to this common view, which suggests that we might in fact pity these evil-doers. This left an impression on me not so much because of the notion per se, but for the expression of a concept so vastly different from the common view. This view of Socrates need not necessarily be the accurate one, yet his ability to think out of the box from an altogether different angle, and to offer an alternative and argue for it left an impact on me.

The metaphor of the leaky jar is extremely relevant towards public policy, in providing a firm governing principle for making decisions for the country. Socrates argues that true power lies not in indulging the will of the wielder of power, but in discipline, to act righteously with the interests of others at heart. In retrospect, this makes sense. Power is often equated with the control over others – over both their physical and mental states. However, if one does not possess control over his own actions, then the power this person wields is perhaps a hollow one, lacking in true substance, since the weakness of lacking in discipline undermines the power. Coupled with Socrates’ assertions that the wrong doer is worse off than one who suffers wrong, this book Gorgias offers a concise argument with regards to public policy making, that is, to act selflessly, with the good of others in mind.

From this book, I have learnt of the need to think thoroughly before giving an answer or coming to a conclusion. From Socrates’ dialogue with the various characters in the book, in particular Polus, it seems to me that many of the characters in the book are trapped not so much by Socrates’ intelligence or his quick thinking, but rather, by their own lack of consideration and thought. For instance, Socrates’ conversation with Polus is characterized by long elaborations on Socrates’ part, and short, quick, and affirmative answers (“Yes”, “Certainly”, “Of course” and the like) from Polus. Had Polus paused to mull over Socrates’ ideas and arguments, he might have been able to come up with counter-arguments and rebuttals, as pointed out by the book’s commentator who writes that “…Polus agrees too readily with [Socrates]…” Thus it may be best if we do not skip through life frivolously, but stop temporarily for some deep thinking once in a while, to avoid falling into the traps that life often sets up for us.

- felicia