With a masterful sense of the place of rhetoric in both thought and practice and an ear attuned to the clarity, natural simplicity, and charm of Plato's Greek prose, James H. Nichols Jr., offers precise yet unusually readable translations of two great Platonic dialogues on rhetoric.The Gorgias presents an intransigent argument that justice is superior to injustice: To the extent that suffering an injustice is preferable to committing an unjust act. The dialogue contains some of Plato's most significant and famous discussions of major political themes, and focuses dramatically and with unrivaled intensity on Socrates as a political thinker and actor. Featuring some of Plato's most soaringly lyrical passages, the Phaedrus investigates the soul's erotic longing and its relationship to the whole cosmos, as well as inquiring into the nature of rhetoric and the problem of writing.Nichols's attention to dramatic detail brings the dialogues to life. Plato's striking variety in conversational address (names and various terms of relative warmth and coolness) is carefully reproduced, as is alteration in tone and implication even in the short responses. The translations render references to the gods accurately and non-monotheistically for the first time, and include a fascinating variety of oaths and invocations. A general introduction on rhetoric from the Greeks to the present shows the problematic relation of rhetoric to philosophy and politics, states the themes that unite the two dialogues, and outlines interpretive suggestions that are then developed more fully for each dialogue. The twin dialogues reveal both the private and the political rhetoric emphatic in Plato's philosophy, yet often ignored in commentaries on it. Nichols believes that Plato's thought on rhetoric has been largely misunderstood, and he uses his translations as an opportunity to reconstruct the classical position on right relations between thought and public activity.
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Extrait
Gorgias
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Preface
he deSign and execUtiOn O thiS vOlUme ReSt On thRee pRemiSeS. iRSt, that the qUeStiOnS RegaRding the natURe O RhetORic and itS pROpeR RelatiOn tO philOSOphY, pOliticS, and edUcatiOn aRe O peRennial cOnceRn and impOR tance. ecOnd, that latO S inveStigatiOn O theSe qUeStiOnS iS pROOUnd and valUable OR OUR Own thinking. And thiRd, that a caReUl tRanSlatiOn bY the Same peRSOn O bOthgîàŝandPhàeuŝwith nOteS and inteRpRetative SUggeStiOnS, cOUld be veRY helpUl OR thOSe wiShing tO cOme tO gRipS with latOS UndeRStanding O RhetORic. Ô cOURSe, ï hOld theSe pRemiSeS tO be tRUe and tO pROvide SUicient jUS ticatiOn OR the pReSent vOlUme. ïn act, theSe pRemiSeS Seem tO me SUi L L cïentY mOdeStâRÉÉ wh hEm Ithat I ïmagïnÉ mOŚ ÉOÉ mh wÉ URtheR believe that SUbStantiallY StROngeR aSSeRtiOnS alOng eacĒ O theSe lineS aRe deenSible, thOûgh O neceSSitY mORe cOntROveRSial, and that theSe aSSeRtiOnS make a aR mORe cOmpelling caSe OR the valUe O thiS vOlUme. Y Ull aRgUment OR theSe StROngeR aSSeRtiOnS iS tO be OUnd in the en tiRetY O the vOlUme that OllOwS, inclUding intROdUctiOn, tRanSlatiOnS, nOteS, and SUggeStiOnS OR inteRpRetatiOn. et me Sketch them heRe bRieFlY aS OllOwS. iRSt, RhetORic iS the cRUcial link between philOSOphY and pOliticS and mUSt take an impORtant place in edUcatiOn i pOlitical lie and intellectUal activitY aRe tO be in the beSt Shape pOSSible. While it iS eaSY tO denigRate the aRt O peRSUaSiOn, mOSt ObviOUSlY bY cOntRaSting itS pOSSible deceptiveneSS with the tRUth O genUine knOwledge, Science, OR philOSOpHY, One ShOUld neveR ORget the Undamental pOlitical act that hUman beingS mUSt cOOR dinate theiR activitieS with OtheR hUman beingS in ORdeR tO live well, and
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Péfácé
that thE twO mOst basic mOdEs Of such cOOrdinatiOn arE thrOugh pErsua siOn and bY fOrcE ÉvErYOnE knOws thE disadvantagEs Of ExcEssivE rELiancE bY a pOLiticaL cOmmunitY On fOrcE Or viOLEncE f thE highEst intELLEctuaL activitiEssciEncE, phiLOsOphYarE tO havE much EfficacY i practicaL pO LiticaL LifE, rhEtOric must bE thE kEY intErmEdiarY ¬EcOnd, LatO prEsEntEd thE rst fuLL invEstigatiOn Of thE mOst impOrtant and fundamEntaL quEstiOns abOut rhEtOric, and its rELatiOn tO phiLOsOphY On thE OnE hand and pOLitics On thE OthEr is invEstigatiOn is cLassic, in thE sEnsE that OnE can arguE with pLausibiLitY that nO LatEr invEstigatiOn has surpassEd its cLaritY and fOrcE On thE basic quEstiOns is undErstanding Of thEsE quEstiOns anD his PhiLOsOphic suggEstiOns abOut rhEtOric dEci sivELY afEctEd thE waY thEsE mattErs wErE viEwEd and dEaLt with fOr manY cEnturiEs and rEmain indispEnsabLE tOdaY hird, LatOs tEaching On rhEtOric is an aspEct Of his thOught that is vErY OftEn misunDErstOOd EvEraL fEatUrEs Of thE intELLEctuaL LifE Of thE Last cEn turY Or twO makE it dificuLt fOr manY schOLas tO takE thE issuE Of rhEtOric as sEriOusLY as LatO himsELf did EncE, fOr ExampLE, thEY arE OftEn mis LEd tO think that, aLthOugh thEgôîàŝdOEs Of cOursE discuss rhEtOric, it is mOrE dEEPLY cOncErnEd with justicE Or phiLOsOPhY And simiLarLY rEgard ing thEPhàeuŝmanY arE rELuctant tO sEE rhEtOric as its cEntraL thEmE Ew transLatiOns Of bOth grEat LatOnic diaLOguEs On rhEtOric, DOnE bY OnE àŚàOàmàEd byhe cOncErn O rEcOvEr a fuLLEr and mOrE adEquatE undErstanding Of LatOs tEaching On rhEtOric, maY bE just what thE phiLO sOphicaL dOctOr OrdErEd fOr thOsE whO sEnsE thE nEEd tO takE a frEsh and sustainEd LOOk at thE prObLEm Of rhEtOric O much fOr thE OvEraLL dEsign Of this vOLumE Ow a fEw wOrds On par ticuLar aspEcts, starting with thE transLatiOns n his prEfacE tOThe Dîà ôueŝ ô Pàô(Ew avEn: aLE °nivErsitY rEss,984). É ALLEn makEs an ELEgant statEmEnt Of a tRànsLatOr s nEEd tO makE "thE tactfuL adjustmEnt Of cOmpEting DEmands which cannOt Each bE fuLLY satisED (xixii) E discussEs thEsE dEmands undEr thE namEsàîieî neu andîeà neŝŝY Own adjustmEnt puts cOnsidErabLE wEight On LitEraLnEss, with a viEw tO tRYing tO prOvidE thE rEaDEr with as dirEct an accEss tO LatO as pOs siBLE anD with as LittLE DEPEnDEncY as pOssibLE On thE transLatOr s intEr PrEtativE undErstanding n thE PrEfacE tOPàôThe Reubîc ô (Ew Ork asic OOks,968)s statEmEnt Of thE casE aGainst thEALLan LOOm sEarcđ úr cOntEmPOranEOus EquivaLEnts anD in favOr Of a LitEraList tiLting Of thE baLancE is cOmpELLingaLL thE strOnGEr, nd, bEcausE hE criticizEs thE LEaDing nOnLitEraL transLatiOns nt bY digging up sOmE PassagEs tO
Péfácé
x
bLamE (which OnE can dO tO anY transLatiOn) but bY Examining sampLE pas sagEs that thE transLatOrs thEmsELvEs singLEd Out as íxEmpLarY Of thE Ex cELLEncE Of thEir apprOach Ôn thE basis Of mY Own ExpEriEncE, wOuLd suppLEmEnt LOOms statE mEnt On bEhaLf Of LitEraL transLatiOn in thE fOLLOwing waY ÔnE cOuLd pur suE thE gOaL Of bEing LitEraL tO whatEvEr dEgrEE OnE might chOOsE ut bEcausE wOrds in twO LanguagEs rarELY cOrrEspOnd wELL in a OnEtOOnE mapping, thE mOrE LitEraL OnE wishEs tO bE, thE mOrE nOtEs OnE must add, EithEr tO ExpLain OnE s wOrdfOrwOrd transLatiOn mOrE fuLLY, whEn nEcEs sarY, sO as nOt tO misLEad thE rEadEr Or whErE OnE cannOt transLatE wOrd fOr wOrd, tO pOint Out that a particuLar rEEk wOrd is thE samE OnE that OnE has transLatEd diErEntLY ELsEwhErE OO manY such nOtEs, hOwEvEr, wOuLd makE thE transLatiOn unbEarabLE ÔnE must thErEfOrE chOOsE tO which rEEk wOrds OnE wiLL dEvOtE this cLOsE trEatmEnt and tO which OnEs nOt n thE chOicE Of whErE tO bE fuLLY LitEraL and tO add nOtEs, OnE cannOt hELp sub jEcting thE rEadEr tO dEpEndEncE On OnE s intErprEtatiOn hat statEmEnt Of thE prObLEm dOEs nOt vitiatE thE gOaL Of chOOsing tO bE LitEraL rathEr than nOt, up tO a pOint t simpLY cLariEs just whY thE gOaL Of LitEraLnEss can bE attainEd OnLY within sOmE Limits, and it suggEsts that thE transLatOr might wELL trY tO indicatE what thE principLEs Of chOicE in that dOmain havE bEEn hE rEadEr maY Of cOursE gain fuLLEr infOrmatiOn On that pOint bY LOOking at thE actuaL nOtEs tO thE transLatiOn itsELf ErE wish tO indicatE thrEE principLEs bY which mY Own chOicE Of whEn tO strivE fOr LitEraLnEss has BEEn guĢDED £iRt, a m OpEninG rEmarks On rhEtOric suggEst, paY EspEcIaY cOsE ItEra attentIOn tO wOrs rEatE tO rhEtOric, pErsuasiOn, spEEch, and thE LikE EcOnda principLE that, rE grEttabLY, nd mYsELf abLE tO statE OnLY vaguELY strivE fOr EspEcIaL Lit EraLnEss with thOsE wOrds that mOst pEOpLE cOncErnEd with phiLOsOphY, mOraLitY, and pOLitics cOnsidEr Of ObviOusLY cEntraL impOrtancE(he ôô he beà u îu he juŝ he cî ôve wîŝôm hird, anY rEEkand sO On) ExprEssiOns which, whEn transLatEd LitEraLLY, maY sOund Odd but YEt dO nOt rEaLLY misLEaD, trY tO transLatE quitE LitEraLLY (Oaths, tErms fOr supEr human bEings, stranGE vOcativEs, and thE LikE) hE nOtEs tO thE transLatiOn arE chiEY phiLOLOgicaL and histOricaL, rathEr than intErprEtativEïhavE just admittEd, Of cOursE, that mY phiLOLOgicaL nOtEs ExpLanatOrY tO thE transLatiOn rEst impLicitLY, at LEast in paRt, On an OvEraLL intErprEtatiOn YEt such nOtEs arE in thEmsELvEs LinGuistic rathEr than intErprEtativE, and havE ExprEssED mY intErprEtatiOn in thE intrO ductiOn and In thE EssaYs On Each diaLOguE hE histOricaL nOtEs aim tO prO