What Does sophist Mean
The term sophist comes from the Latin word sophista , although its most distant etymological origin is found in the Greek language. A sophist is known as the expert in rhetoric who, in Ancient Greece , was dedicated to teaching the meaning of words.
The concept was understood in various ways throughout history . Many times, the sophist was considered a sage who, thanks to his knowledge, could educate people. The sophists, in this sense, even advised the leaders and taught them how they could influence the population.
A sophist could be a sage who passed on his knowledge.
The sophist throughout history
Over time, some began to accuse the sophists of claiming a capacity for the teaching of virtues . There were sectors that pointed to the sophists as cheaters who, using rhetoric and dialectics , deceived people .
In this way, those who appealed to sophisms to develop their reasoning and convince others began to be classified as sophists . A sophism is a fallacy : something that, on the surface, is presented as valid, although in reality it is false.
Plato's criticism
It can be said, in short, that the notion of sophist changed with the passage of time . In the beginning, the sophist was dedicated to teaching and instruction. However, based on the positions of Plato , Socrates and other sages, he began to associate the sophists with deception. Thus, the definition of a sophist was reached as one who, using sophistry and fallacies, deceives people and even obtains a profit from his ability to confuse the other through his arguments.
Plato was a critic of the sophists.
The great philosopher Plato was one of the figures who most openly opposed the Sophists. And it is that he left on the table many arguments to oppose them. Specifically, it highlighted issues such as these:
-I considered that they made use of reason simply as a discussion technique, regardless of the moral or the truth of the matter to be discussed.
-It established that they were individuals who traded with knowledge, since they charged large sums of money at that time simply for giving their "talks."
-It determined that the proposed teaching method used by the sophists did not bet that the student could progress in the knowledge of things. He was simply trying to instill in them certain ideas and nothing more.
Recognized sophists
Despite all the "attacks" they received, many were the sophists who acquired a certain prestige and relevance. However, among the most significant are the following:
-Prothagoras of Abdera (485 BC - 411 BC), who was one of the most important thanks to his excellent qualities and skills with rhetoric. He was a friend of Socrates and Pericles, he was one of those who charged higher prices for giving an account of his knowledge and Plato said of him that he was the inventor of the "professional sophist".
-Hipias de Elide, who stood out for being a contemporary of both Socrates and Protagoras, for having a prodigious memory and for being the inventor of the quadratic and of the so-called mnemonic systems.