The Duke-UNC Works in Progress Series in ancient Greco-Roman philosophy will reconvene with a talk by Anna Marmodoro (Saint Louis University). All are welcome! Please direct any questions to Wenjin Liu (wenjin.liu@duke.edu) or Michael Vazquez (michael.vazquez@unc.edu).
Wednesday, November 19, 2025. 1:30–3:00 pm Bynum 111, UNC–Chapel Hill
“She did it! But she is innocent. Helen of Troy, according to the Sophist Gorgias”
Helen of Troy is arguably the most infamous wrongdoer in classical antiquity. Her adultery is reported by Homer and other sources as the origin of the Trojan war. She is a wrongdoer whose actions have had enormous negative consequences. Yet, the Sophist Gorgias (of Leontini, Vth c.) wrote an Encomium in her defence; without denying Helen’s actions and their consequences, he nevertheless argues that she is not morally blameworthy. On which basis does Gorgias claim that Helen is not blameworthy for what she did? What understanding of moral values and moral judgements underpins his stance? How does he prove his claims? Here I will examine (1) the moral theory that emerges from Gorgias’ Encomium and (2) the method by which he proves Helen’s innocence, which reveals a noteworthy epistemology, which has not yet been appreciated as such in the literature nor situated in the broader context of the theories of knowledge of the time.
