The sophists were intellectuals and teachers in ancient Greece who taught rhetoric, language, statesmanship, and virtues. They claimed to have knowledge and charged high rates to teach the sons of wealthy Athenians skills like debating, persuasion, and arguing to secure careers in law and politics. The sophists believed that truth was relative and depended on individual perspectives. Protagoras was one of the first sophists and said that man determines what is true. This caused tensions as it suggested there were no absolute truths and blurred the lines between right and wrong, weakening moral order.

1. The Sophists Who were the sophists? Where and when did they exist? What were their key teachings?

3. The Sophists Intellectuals Teachers Rhetoric, language, statesmanship, excellence, virtues Claimed they knew all the answers Concerned with the person and the persons place in the world Charged highly for their services Employed by higher classes

4. Why Hire a Sophist? The Emerging democracy in Athens wanted educated people Parents wanted to provide for their children Skills to secure them successful careers Law and Politics Skills needed for law... Debating, persuasion, rhetoric, argument, questioning, logic, language

5. The Sophists appeal... They created quite a stir Younger generation wanted to revolt against tradition People wanted questions answered Politically ambitious admired their skills Wanted to learn how to argue and WIN. How to fight with conviction Ignore their own view Persuading the audience of the truth of your argument became the most important thing The truth itself could be hidden

6. Protagoras Born in 480 B.C.E. One of the first Sophists Believed it was not possible to know absolute truth He said truth was a matter for the individual What is true for me may not be true for you But both positions are valid ‘ Man is the measure of all things’

7. As a result...... People believed that the difference between good and evil cannot be known It all depended on the circumstances Theory of Relativity The sophists believed other concepts of truth and justice were products of habit and circumstance Created by those in power to suit their own interests ‘ Justice is simply the interest of the stronger’

8. He who argues best wins He who proves the opposition flawed holds the upper hand

9. Truth and Justice ‘ Truth’ and ‘Justice’ - created by those in power To protect themselves To control people In other words: those who were in power created laws that they told the people were “good” for everybody. But really it was just a way of controlling people and society. ‘ Justice is simply the interest of the stronger ’ - Thrasymachus

10. Sophists appealed to the politically ambitious younger generation Wanted to learn the power of persuasion Through rhetoric Learned debating and public speaking Learned to argue both sides of an argument with equal conviction Despite their own view Ability to persuade the audience of the truth of your position became the most important thing The truth itself could be hidden

11. Problems Arose..... The sophists’ philosophy created tension in Athens They suggested there were no absolute norms for right or wrong This contributed to a breakdown in moral order The distinction between good and evil was no longer clear

12. Problems Arose..... The sophists’ philosophy created tension in Athens They relativised truth No longer a definite right or wrong Distinction between good and evil was no longer clear This caused problems in society He who could argue best wins. Or he who could pay the best Sophist to argue Not always the person in the right