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Course Description
Summer 2026 • Grade 7 and above • Philosophy Sequence
Plato’s Gorgias
Sections and Teachers
Section 1:
Instructors: Bruce McMenomy and Karl Oles
Starts: June 15, 2026
Ends: August 14, 2026
Dates and times to be arranged with enrolled students.
Tuition: $250.00
There is more information at the teacher's course Website: Plato’s Gorgias
A close reading and discussion of Plato’s Gorgias, a conversation with one of the most prominent of the Sophists of his day. It explores the morality and efficacy of the art of persuasion. Socrates works his way through three fairly hostile interlocutors, who take a range of positions in championing the teaching of rhetoric. Many of the questions that arise here are present and urgent in today’s political and social discourse. Gorgias claims (both here and elsewhere) that persuasion is an almost irresistible force; Socrates pushes back on the question of whether it it responsible to put such power in the hands of a student without also assuring that he is using it responsibly.
Prerequisites
None
Recommended background
Some familiarity with careful reading and philosophical thought is useful, but the dialogue itself should provide sufficient material and sufficient interest even for a novice student.
Teacher's notes:
This is one of a sequence of Plato classes developed by Mr. Karl Oles and Dr. Bruce McMenomy.
Textbooks and Materials
This item is required:
Gorgias [Edition or Version: 1], Authors: Plato, Robin Waterfield (transl.)
ISBN: 0199540322
Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore
Other information: Other editions may suffice, though using this one will make page references easier.
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