Three podcasters and two listeners join to read Plato's fabulous dialogue, which is discussed in PEL Episode 69. Listening to this will be MIGHTY good preparation for listening to that discussion.

We are freely sharing the first half of this unabridged work of profound genius, in which Socrates (Mark) and his pal Chaerephon (Eileen), at the behest of Callicles (Dylan), call on the famous orator/teacher Gorgias (Seth) to ask him what this oratory crap is all about.

After first trouncing Gorgias's student Polus (Evan), Socrates then eviscerates Gorgias himself, arguing that oratory is just a worthless form of flattery, like pastry baking (?!?!), feeding people what they want to hear while doing nothing to improve them. As part one concludes, Callicles steps up and gives Socrates a smackdown, arguing that orators, who argue the affairs of the state, have power, and hence happiness, and even though we may give lip service to the idea that exerting power unjustly is shameful, the law of nature says that more power is always better, and screw justice. And screw philosophy while you're at it, which is best left to undergrads to rant about in their dorm rooms and grow out of to go on and do real work.

To listen to part two, where Socrates responds to this in an epic confrontation that you'll never forget so long as you live, and even afterwards as your soul is given a quiz on this dialogue to judge your final resting place, you'll need to sign up to be a PEL Citizen at partiallyexaminedlife.com, which will enable you not only to continue your Gorgias orgasmic experience, but also listen a bevy of other audio products, and read a heap of exclusive member content, and to participate in mind-expanding Not School discussions.