Sophism

A detailed Summary of Sophism

The Tradition of Greek philosophy is a rich and prolific one. The ancient writings of the Greeks have shaped many of the ideals and ideologies that our modern society still portrays. One such Greek philosophy is Sophism. Though not as famous as other ancient Greek schools of thought, the Sophists significantly partook in the crucial structuring of Greek society. The Sophists were seen as professional teachers and shared their knowledge of philosophy, public speaking and politics with the people of Ancient Greece. The Sophist were individualists who questioned the standard and accepted norms of their time. For this reason they were not always viewed in such a positive manner. Though Sophist belief may have been viewed as unorthodox, its significance could not have been overlooked by even the most animate of their opposition both then and now.

The word Sophist means an expert in the practical or theoretical matters. The Sophists were great thinkers who stressed more the rhetorical rather than the philosophical. Sophists dealt with the world as an individualist and on a practical scale, rather than ponder the perplexities of the abs

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New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1964.

Protagoras' teachings stretched far beyond individualism. Perhaps one of the most controversial of Protagoras' beliefs was his agnosticism. Protagoras has been quoted as saying "About the gods, I have no way of knowing whether they exist or do not exist, nor for what form they are"(Nahm,220). Such a brazen questioning of Greek Divinity was unheard of at this time, and many shunned Protagoras for this.

One of the most profound Sophists, and arguably the first was Protagoras. Protagoras was an avid supporter of individualism. Perhaps one of his most famous teachings is "Man is the Measure of all things, of existing things that they exist and of non-existing things that they do not exist" (Guthrie{Plato},55). Though the actual meaning of Protagoras' words are arguable, many, including Plato, see them as a proclamation of individualism. In essence, Protagoras proposes that things are as the individual perceives them to be.

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Though the Sophists' contributions to politics benefitted Greek society, it eventua

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Approximate Word count = 795
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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Sophism

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