Gorgias and Socrates on The Grid

Maybe my mind is just .... different.  As I was reading this conversation between Socrates and Gorgias, I, for some reason, kept seeing the conversation as something similar to a light-cycle race in the movie Tron though this debate was far less hostile by comparison.  I could see Socrates steering Gorgias with his conversation, and Gorgias, who started out as cocky as Flynn, figures out that there are indeed flaws in his logic.  My connection with Tron, Tron: Legacy, and this week's readings get quite...liquid after this because, as I kept going, I had a hard time deciding out of Socrates and Gorgias, who was most like Clu and who was like Flynn (in the Tron Legacy movie).

In the Tron: Legacy movie, Flynn created Clu with a insatiable desire for perfection.  As time progressed, Clu's definition of perfection either stays stationary and is acted on to a Hitler extreme or advances to a Hitler extreme definition of perfection while Flynn realizes that perfection was "unknowable. [Perfection is] impossible, but it's also right in front of us all the time."  This to me felt like a similar argument to Socrates and Gorgias' conversation.  Which is the "perfect" art that will bring all men to just ways of acting and true ways of thinking?  Philosophy/dialogue or rhetoric?  Based on who was "winning" the conversation, Socrates probably best suits Flynn in this regard, but I would not put Gorgias in Clu's position.

I would tentatively put Gorgias in Clu's position in the way that Clu "plays" against Flynn.  When Flynn's son find him in The Grid, Flynn explains that he refuses to play because if he did play, he would have to play by Clu's rules which would only get himself killed which would let Clu win (and then Clu would enter the real world and try to Hitlerize it too.  But  that's not important for this). I tentatively put Gorgias in Clu's position because Gorgias plays by Socrates rules.  However, unlike Clu, Gorgias chooses to play by Socrates' rules by agreeing to converse instead of conducting speeches to respond to Socrates' questions. [Also, I REALLY don't want to align Gorgias with a Hitler-esque character, but I don't have a lot of choice based on the comparison]

Looking at Socrates and Gorgias' students, I think both Gorgias and Socrates fit under Flynn. AND Socrates, to a tiny extent, can fit under Clu.  Based on the number of students that Socrates has with him, Socrates can fit under Flynn.  Also, Callicles is like Flynn's son who doubts Flynn's thinking.  If I might be so bold, this section where Callicles doubts Socrates felt a little like Rinzler (Clu's number one soldier) showing signs of turning to the good side.  Also, because Chaeraphon is about as quiet and loyal to Socrates as Rinzler is to Clu, Socrates can again fit under Clu's criteria.  Quorra is fairly loyal to Flynn, and might adequately stand in for Chaeraphon, but I'd like to at least try to be an equal opportunity offender when comparing anyone to Clu.  Having said that, what makes Gorgias like Flynn is that Polus runs his mouth like Flynn's son runs off in disregard of his father's plans.  I think that in both cases, though surely in Gorgias', the action of Polus and Flynn's son causes Gorgias and Flynn to see some flaws in their thinking.

... I shouldn't leave on this hanging thought, but I need to sleep.  Below, I've whited out some lines from the movie (which do occur near the end, but I don't think they really give anything away) if anyone wants to check it out and play with how it relates to this week's reading.


Clu: I did everything... everything you ever asked! 
Kevin Flynn: I know you did. 
Clu: I executed the plan! 
Kevin Flynn: As you saw it... 
Clu: You- You promised that we would change the world, together. You broke your promise... 
Kevin Flynn: I know. I understand that now. 
Clu: I took this system to it's maximum potential. I created the perfect system! 
Kevin Flynn: The thing about perfection is that it's unknowable. It's impossible, but it's also right in front of us all the time. You wouldn't know that because I didn't when I created you. I'm sorry, Clu. I'm sorry...