Sophists

E76034
intellectual tradition philosophical movement rhetorical school social group

Sophists were itinerant professional teachers and intellectuals in ancient Greece, known for their skill in rhetoric and argumentation, often criticized for prioritizing persuasive success over truth.

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Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Sophist 6
Sophism 3

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf intellectual tradition ⓘ
philosophical movement ⓘ
rhetorical school ⓘ
social group ⓘ
activeInPeriod 4th century BCE ⓘ
5th century BCE ⓘ
associatedWithConcept eristic argument ⓘ
nomos versus physis ⓘ
protagorean relativism ⓘ
relativism ⓘ
rhetoric ⓘ
skepticism ⓘ
criticizedBy Aristotle ⓘ
Plato ⓘ
Socrates ⓘ
economicModel fee-based instruction ⓘ
hasActivity legal argument coaching ⓘ
preparing students for political life ⓘ
teaching rhetoric ⓘ
teaching virtue (aretē) ⓘ
training in public speaking ⓘ
hasCharacteristic experts in argumentation ⓘ
experts in rhetoric ⓘ
itinerant teachers ⓘ
professional educators ⓘ
relativistic views ⓘ
skeptical attitudes toward objective truth ⓘ
hasLocation Greek Antiquity ⓘ
surface form: ancient Greece
hasReputation charging fees for instruction ⓘ
controversial in classical Athens ⓘ
prioritizing persuasion over truth ⓘ
includesMember Antiphon ⓘ
Gorgias ⓘ
Hippias of Elis ⓘ
surface form: Hippias

Prodicus ⓘ
Protagoras ⓘ
Thrasymachus ⓘ
influenced Athenian democracy ⓘ
development of rhetoric ⓘ
education in classical Greece ⓘ
legal practice in ancient Greece ⓘ
languageOf Ancient Greek ⓘ
legacy term "sophistry" meaning deceptive reasoning ⓘ
opposedBy Platonic philosophy ⓘ
Socratic philosophy ⓘ
taughtAudience young aristocratic men ⓘ
taughtIn Athens ⓘ
other Greek city-states ⓘ
viewedAs corruptors of youth by some Athenians ⓘ

Referenced by (14)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

this entity surface form: Sophism
this entity surface form: Sophist
Aristippus → influencedBy → Sophists ⓘ
Gorgias → movement → Sophists ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sophism
this entity surface form: Sophism
Theaetetus → precedesInTrilogy → Sophists ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sophist
Cratylus → relatedWork → Sophists ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sophist
Statesman → relatedWork → Sophists ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sophist
Theaetetus → relatedWork → Sophists ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sophist
Timaeus → relatedWork → Sophists ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sophist
subject surface form: Clouds
Socrates' Thinkery → satirizes → Sophists ⓘ
Aristophanes → workSubject → Sophists ⓘ