has the greek philosopher Gorgias been proven wrong??

Question

it seems as though he is a solipsist and is famous for this:

1.Nothing exists;

2.Even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; and

3.Even if something could be known about it, knowledge about it can't be communicated to others

have these satements been refuted and proven wrong??

Answer 1

It's easy to prove self-contradictory tripe wrong. Watch:

1. Gorgias' statements do not exist, proven from his statement 1.

2. If Gorgias' statements did exist, you can't possibly know anything about his statements, proven from his statement 2.

3. Even if you could possibly know something about Gorgias' statements, you could never possibly recieve any communication from Gorgias about it, proven from his statement 3.

In other words, the only way his arguments can be true is if he has no arguments.

As I mentioned before, however, it is doubtful whether Gorgias was even arguing for this kind of solipsism. More likely, he was arguing against other kinds of ridiculous statements by lampooning them. Much like I just did. ( :

Answer 2

Myths (All myths, much of which forms foundations for modern religions) often contain kernels of truth. For instance, Schliemann, and nineteenth century archeologist, was convinced Homer's Illiad was more than pure fiction. Sure enough, he found the ruins of Troy by using geographical descriptions in the story of the Trojan War. The ruins showed that a great battle had indeed taken place at about the right time in the middle of the bronze age. So does that mean it is all true? The Priam and Paris and Hector and all the Greeks were genuine historical figures? Probably not. Even the names refer to real people, the life Homer gave them was fictitious. Did the war really start of the kidnapping of Helen? Again, maybe, but it's more likley that the Trojans had a strangle hold on trade with East Asia, and the Greeks wanted to cut out the middle man. No matter what parts are true, and what parts are poetic, the stories can be used to illuminate aspects of human nature. They act as metaphors for the conflicts, internal and external, that every human must navigate. Myth has wider shoulders than facts because it carries a larger burden of truth.

Answer 3

Try John Galt's radio broadcast in the novel "Atlas Shrugged", by Ayn Rand.

Answer 4

Well, read Plato's dialogue "Gorgias"... yes he was wrong