Rhetoric and parrhesia in the democratic context

Authors

  • Ricardo Manoel Oliveira Morais Doutorando em Direito pela UFMG. Mestre em Filosofia pela UFMG. Graduado em Direito pela Faculdade de Direito Milton Campos, em Filosofia pela Faculdade Jesuíta de Filosofia e Teologia.
  • Adriana Campos Silva Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4013/rechtd.2016.83.05

Abstract

This article aims to understand the harmful role that rhetoric has in a democracy according to Plato. Therefore, the role of the character Callicles and sophistry in the Platonic dialogue Gorgias will be examined. This research will be structured as follows: presentation of some general topics about Platonic philosophy (rejection of sophistry and construction of objective knowledge); analysis of the dialog’s frame; analysis of the role of the character Callicles. Then, it will discuss the harm caused by rhetoric to democracy, but still as a widely used “practice”, since a true discourse (parrhesia), which is not convincing, does not have persuasive force to win over the demos (people), in other words, it is ineffective.

Keywords: democracy, rhetoric, parrhesia.

Author Biographies

Ricardo Manoel Oliveira Morais, Doutorando em Direito pela UFMG. Mestre em Filosofia pela UFMG. Graduado em Direito pela Faculdade de Direito Milton Campos, em Filosofia pela Faculdade Jesuíta de Filosofia e Teologia.

Atua na área de Filsoofia do Direito.

Adriana Campos Silva, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Doutora em Direito pela UFMG. Mestre em Direito pela UFMG. Professora da graduação e do Programa de Pós-graduação em Direito da UFMG.

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Published

2016-08-13

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 3 (2016): September/December

Section

Articles

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