Gorgias

The dialogue explores the nature of rhetoric through a conversation between Socrates and several sophists at a dinner. Socrates challenges the sophists' views, aiming to define rhetoric and expose the shortcomings of their persuasive techniques, which were highly valued in Athenian society for political and legal success. The text highlights the contrast between genuine political practice and the superficiality of sophistic rhetoric, with figures like Gorgias, a foreign rhetorician, embodying the allure of Athens' intellectual scene.