Gorgias’s Thought: An Epistemological Reading is the first monograph published in English entirely devoted to Gorgias’s epistemological thought and provides a new perspective on Gorgias’s thought more broadly.
The book aims to undermine the common idea that Gorgias is either an orator uncommitted to any conception of truth, or a thinker whose interest is confined to the philosophy of language. It considers his major texts—On What is Not, or On Nature, The Apology of Palamedes and The Encomium of Helen—emphasising the originality and specificity of Gorgias’ thought. In combining a philological analysis with substantive use of contemporary epistemological approaches, Di Iulio shows that Gorgias is to be considered first and foremost an epistemologist.
Gorgias’s Thought: An Epistemological Reading is of interest to students, scholars and specialists in ancient thought, epistemology, history of philosophy and rhetoric.
Acknowledgements, Introduction, 1. The First Thesis of the Treatise: Gorgias On What There Is, 2. The Second Thesis Of The Treatise: Gorgias On Epistemology And Scepticism, 3. The Apology Of Palamedes: Gorgias On Foundationalism, Eyewitnessing And True Speech, 4. The Encomium Of Helen: The Epistemology Of Persuasion, 5. The Third Thesis Of The Treatise: The Epistemic Root Of Gorgias’s Philosophy Of Language, Conclusions.
Biography
Erminia Di Iulio received her Ph.D from Tor Vergata University, Rome, in 2020, and works primarily on ancient philosophy. Her research interests include epistemology, epistemology of testimony and philosophy of perception. She co-founded the open access journal Synthesis—Journal for Philosophy.
“This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Gorgias’ ideas and relationship to philosophy as well as those keen to see how modern philosophical discourse may generate a fruitful dialogue with ancient texts whose relationship to the philosophical tradition may be opaque and problematic.” - Bryn Mawr Classical Review
