Warning: high philosophical content:
anotherscene.com
This fits my understanding of the thing:
The first Sophist so identified was Protagoras of Abdera, whose maxim, "Man is the measure of all things" makes him the most famous to this day. After Protagoras came Gorgias of Leontini, Prodicus of Ceos and Hippias of Elis. Gorgias came to Athens and became a superstar. His demonstrations of his rhetorical skills were apparently performances of great theatricality and excitement and were always sold out. His tuition fees were extremely high and he always got what he asked for, which made him a very wealthy man, who lived to nearly one hundred. Gorgias claimed that his skills at persuasion were so developed that he could answer a question on any subject, regardless of any knowledge he might or might not have of that subject, and he demonstrated this frequently in his performances and his teaching. This is another major reason for Socrates's horror of the Sophists. Their doctrine not only allowed, but encouraged students to speak on a subject without feeling any obligation to know what they were talking about.
In Plato's dialogue, Protagoras , a young Socrates debates the ancient Sophist. In the Theaetetus , Socrates elaborates a lengthy, complex, and ingenious analysis and critique of Protagoras's claim that "man is the measure of all things." At one point Socrates asks why Protagoras didn't say that "The dog-faced baboon is the measure of all things," or that "Pig is the measure of all things." The most bitter confrontation with Sophists occurs in the Gorgias , and the most intellectually breathtaking attack occurs in the Sophist , however in the latter, Socrates merely listens to the performance of the Eleatic Stranger.
In Plato's Gorgias, Socrates compares the tricks of the Sophists to the skills in disciplines that actually possessed a content of knowledge. If a person wanted to improve the external condition of his body, she or he would consult an expert in gymnastics. To improve the internal condition of the body, she or he would consult a doctor of medicine. To improve the condition of the soul, Socrates recommended consulting a philosopher. To consult a Sophist would be like a person who wanted to improve the external condition of the body by consulting a cosmetician, or a person who wanted to improve the internal condition of the body by consulting a cook. Cosmetics makes the body look better without actually improving it; cookery gives the body pleasure without improving the body's health. Therefore attending the lessons of the sophists to attain wisdom is like a sick person consulting a pastry chef. |
