Gorgias, a professor of rhetoric, attempts to define his craft. His craft is the art of persuasion, aimed at the public. Rhetoricians need not be experts in the subjects they discuss. With their oratory skills, they can convince the public of anything. In fact, they are often able to persuade the public on matters outside their expertise even more effectively than the experts can. For example, Gorgias recounts how he was able to convince a patient to take his medicine, despite the doctor's inability to persuade the patient.
If rhetoricians have the power to convince the public of anything they wish, what prevents them from engaging in fraud? There must be some form of ethics governing rhetoric, or else Greek society would not have held the profession in such high esteem. Unlike Socrates, Gorgias does not try to ground his ethics. He claims that as long as rhetoricians do not damage the expert’s reputation, they are not misusing their powers. According to Gorgias, if the patient continues to regard the doctor as reputable after encountering the rhetorician, no harm has been done. The protection of experts’ reputations guards society from rhetoricians who might otherwise convince the public of anything they please. If rhetoricians do their job correctly, the public should remain aware that it is the experts who truly possess knowledge.
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