Welcome to Hello Gorgias!

Reading critical theory and philosophy can be so challenging that the prospect of writing it often feels impossible. But you don’t need to write like an academic or have a college degree to be a great theorist. You just need a passion for the material and be dedicated to honing your craft.

Hello Gorgias! (Gor-gee-us) is a place where emerging theorists and philosophers can discuss the writing process, develop long-form arguments, and learn how to present complex ideas to a general audience. Posts are between 500-1000 words and go out on Fridays at 8:00 AM (EST).

Who am I?

I am a published writer, rhetorician, and theorist with a PhD in rhetoric and writing studies and 15+ years experience as a speech and writing coach.

Who is Gorgias?

Gorgias (483-375 BCE) was a pre-Socratic philosopher and orator associated with sophistry, a school of thought that emphasized the practical importance of rhetoric in civic and political life.

Like many of the sophists, Gorgias is often misunderstood. This is largely thanks to Plato, who famously portrays him as a shameless flatterer with little regard for truth or virtue.

When you read Gorgias himself, a more nuanced picture begins to emerge. Gorgias is best known for championing the rhetorical and educational value of paradoxes. He was not a relativist, but he did reject the idea of a timeless and universal truth.

For Gorgias, the truth is often complex, situational, and subject to change. When he demonstrates how weak arguments can be made to seem strong, he’s offering his audience an exercise in critical thinking — like a teacher who plays devil’s advocate or asks students to debate both sides of a topic.

Aspiring philosophers can learn a lot from Gorgias. Coming up with a good idea is only half the struggle. As Plato himself knew all too well, philosophers also have to find a way to communicate their ideas to a wider audience. That’s where Hello Gorgias! comes in.

If you’re interested in Gorgias, you can learn more about him here.