Sophists Sophists were a group of loosely connected group of individuals from the 5th and early 4th centuries B.C. Sophist means a teacher of rhetoric. It came from the term sophites which meant wise, prudent, statesmanlike or skilled at one's craft. They were basically traveling teachers that charged a fee for their lessons. "They taught many different things including public speaking, grammar, linguistic theory, moral and political doctrines, doctrines about god and nature and the origins of man, literary analysis and criticism, mathematics, and physical theories of the universe." Basically they would teach whatever was in demand. There were others but the most famous sophists include Protagoras of Abdera, who is considered the first of the sophists, Euclides of Megara, Hippias Of Elias, Prodicus of Ceos, and Gorgias of Leontini. Prodicus of Ceos was a disciple of Protagoras. He came to Athens as a ambassador. There he opened a school of rhetoric. He thought that the right use right words and the accurate discrimination of synonyms was very important. He teachings in Athens were at about the same time as the end of the Peloponnesian War. Prodicus considered himself a Sophist but defined one as "midway between a philosopher and a statesman." At one time Socrates was one of his disciples but according to Socrates, he did not learn anything from Prodicus. Socrates once remarked that he sent young men to Prodicus who he did not think could be helped by his own teachings. People loved to hear him speak even though he had an unpleasant sounding voice. His most famous work was "The Choice of Hercules". His other famous writings were "the Hours" and "on Nature". He was put to death in Athens for corrupting the youth, forced to drink hemlock, but it is doubtful he ever got a trial. | |
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