Professional teachers of rhetoric (as well as other subjects) inancient Greece are known as Sophists. Major figures included Gorgias, Hippias, Protagoras, and Antiphon. This term comes from the Greek, "to become wise."
Examples
- Recent scholarship (for example, Edward Schiappa's The Beginnings of Rhetorical Theory in Classical Greece, 1999) has challenged conventional views that rhetoric was born with the democratization of Syracuse, developed by the Sophists in a somewhat shallow way, criticized by Plato in a somewhat impractical way, and rescued by Aristotle, whose Rhetoric found the mean between Sophistic relativism and Platonic idealism. The Sophists were, in fact, a rather disparate group of teachers, some of whom may have been opportunistic hucksters while others (such as Isocrates) were closer in spirit and method to Aristotle and other philosophers.
- The development of rhetoric in 5th-century B.C. certainly corresponded to the rise of the new legal system that accompanied the "democratic" government (that is, the several hundred men who were defined as Athenian citizens) in parts of ancient Greece. (Keep in mind that before the invention of lawyers, citizens represented themselves in the Assembly--usually in front of sizable juries.) It is believed that the Sophists generally taught by example rather than precept; that is, they prepared and delivered specimen speeches for their students to imitate.
In any case, as Thomas Cole has noted, it's difficult to identify anything like a common set of Sophistic rhetorical principles (The Origins of Rhetoric in Ancient Greece, 1991). We do know a couple of things for certain: (1) that in the 4th century B.C. Aristotle assembled the rhetorical handbooks that were then available into a collection called the Synagoge Techne (now, unfortunately, lost); and (2) that his Rhetoric (which is actually a set of lecture notes) is the earliest extant example of a complete theory, or art, of rhetoric.
Plato's Criticism of the Sophists
Read MoreArt of Persuasion: Ancient Rhetoric UnveiledBy Richard Nordquist "The Sophists formed part of the intellectual culture of classical Greece during the second half of the fifth century BCE. Best known as professional educators in the Hellenic world, they were regarded in their time as polymaths, men of varied and great learning. . . . Their doctrines and practices were instrumental in shifting attention from the cosmological speculations of the pre-Socratics to anthropological investigations with a decidedly practical nature. . . .
"[In the Gorgias and elsewhere] Plato critiques the Sophists for privileging appearances over reality, making the weaker argument appear the stronger, preferring the pleasant over the good, favoring opinions over the truth and probability over certainty, and choosing rhetoric over philosophy. In recent times, this unflattering portrayal has been countered with a more sympathetic appraisal of the Sophists' status in antiquity as well as their ideas for modernity."
(John Poulakos, "Sophists." Encyclopedia of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press, 2001)
The Sophists as Educators
"[R]hetorical education offered its students mastery of the skills of language necessary to participating in political life and succeeding in financial ventures. The Sophists' education in rhetoric, then, opened a new doorway to success for many Greek citizens."
(James Herrick, History and Theory of Rhetoric. Allyn & Bacon, 2001)
"[T]he sophists were most concerned with the civic world, most specifically the functioning of the democracy, for which the participants in sophistic education were preparing themselves."
(Susan Jarratt, Rereading the Sophists. Southern Illinois University Press, 1991)
Isocrates, Against the Sophists
"When the layman . . . observes that the teachers of wisdom and dispensers of happiness are themselves in great want but exact only a small fee from their students, that they are on the watch for contradictions in words but are blind to inconsistencies in deeds, and that, furthermore, they pretend to have knowledge of the future but are incapable either of saying anything pertinent or of giving any counsel regarding the present, . . . then he has, I think, good reason to condemn such studies and regard them as stuff and nonsense, and not as a true discipline of the soul. . . .
"[L]et no one suppose that I claim that just living can be taught; for, in a word, I hold that there does not exist an art of the kind which can implant sobriety and justice in depraved natures. Nevertheless, I do think that the study of political discourse can help more than any other thing to stimulate and form such qualities of character."
(Isocrates, Against the Sophists, c. 382 BC. Translated by George Norlin)
FAQs
He claimed that they could not care less about truth in debates and were only concerned to teach their patrons the tricks of winning. It did not matter whether you had justice or the stronger argument on your side: The Sophists would happily coach you in all sorts of ruses to help you in any verbal joust.
How did Socrates feel about sophists? ›
The sophists were criticized mercilessly by Socrates. These wandering teachers were the successors of the rhapsodes. Recently discovered fragments from the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. prove that they were also heirs of the tradition started by the poet Simonides (556 - 468 B.C.E.).
What was the Greek political thought of the Sophists? ›
They also believed that men were naturally nonsocial, that the state rested upon an artificial and individualistic basis, and that political authority was essentially selfish in its aims. The Sophists were the first teachers of individualism and originated the idea that the state rests upon a social compact.
What were sophists known for in ancient Greece? ›
The sophists were itinerant professional teachers and intellectuals who frequented Athens and other Greek cities in the second half of the fifth century B.C.E.
Why do you think many Greeks condemned the idea of the Sophists? ›
The Greeks condemned the ideas of Sophists because the Sophists questioned Greek culture's ideas. Success was more important to them than moral truth. After the Peloponnesian War, the majority of young Athenians followed them due to their rhetorical skills.
Why were the Sophists disliked by philosophers in ancient Greece? ›
The methods of teaching that the sophists portrayed in Athens were in conflict with Plato's school of thought. According to Plato's arguments, the sophists did not teach “the true knowledge” because their interest was not to build knowledge or share it with others.
Why does Socrates claim he cannot be a sophist? ›
Socrates also wants to distance himself from the Sophists—people who went around taking money to teach people rhetoric or the art of persuasion. Socrates claims to not have the kind of knowledge that the Sophists profess to have and points out that he does not take money to teach anyone anything.
Did Sophists believe in God? ›
Arguing that 'man is the measure of all things', the Sophists were skeptical about the existence of the gods and taught a variety of subjects, including mathematics, grammar, physics, political philosophy, ancient history, music, and astronomy.
What are the criticism of Sophists? ›
Isocrates' Criticism of the Sophists
The inconsistency between what the sophists claim to teach and their actual ability is Isocrates' second point. They claim to teach qualities they do not possess themselves, namely truth, happiness and justice.
Did Sophists believe in absolute truth? ›
The Sophists were a group of philosophers who believed that reality was fluid and could be reshaped at will, and that there was no such thing as absolute truth or morality. They also did not believe in the concept of an afterlife and maintained that death was the final stage in the existence of humans.
It was this side of the Sophists that Aristotle made the biggest fuss about. He claimed that they could not care less about truth in debates and were only concerned to teach their patrons the tricks of winning.
How did the Sophists change Greek philosophy? ›
The sophists focused on the rational examination of human affairs and the betterment and success of human life. They argued that gods could not be the explanation of human action. Many rhetoricians during this period were instructed under specialists in Greek rhetorical studies as part of their standard education.
What is an example of a sophist argument? ›
For example, someone may claim that a speech made by a CEO against indexing the minimum wage to the cost of living should be rejected since the former is biased as a result of their wealth and the interests inherent to their social position.
Did Socrates oppose sophistic relativism? ›
They are objective. Socrates was opposed to the moral relativism of the Sophists.
Why did Socrates disagree with the Sophists quizlet? ›
Socrates disagreed with the Sophists because the Sophists believed that their students should use their time to improve themselves. Socrates believed that an absolute truth existed within each each person. Socrates invented the Socratic Method. It says that if you ask pointed questions they will get an answer.
What did Socrates believe? ›
He believed that his mission from the god was to examine his fellow citizens and persuade them that the most important good for a human being was the health of the soul. Wealth, he insisted, does not bring about human excellence or virtue, but virtue makes wealth and everything else good for human beings (Apology 30b).
How would you differentiate Sophists from Socrates? ›
Quick answer: The difference between Socrates and the Sophists is that Socrates believed that universal standards existed to guide individuals in matters such as justice and beauty, while the Sophists believed that it was powerful people's job to determine these points of knowledge themselves.
