The Greek Sophists (Penguin Classics)

To start off, it's important to note that I alight this work closely with a comparable Penguin Classics work: "The Presocratic Philosophers." Like that work (by another author), this work gathers fragmentary testimony from a variety of ancient sources to piece together the lives and doctrines of various sophistic figures.From my perspective, this work suceeds as well as the Presocratic work: it is readable, thorough in its coverage of characters, and features many extant Sophist fragments in full (Gorgia's Economium of Helen was a personal favorite). Although this work is by two editors, the work is seamless and unified.This book is lacking one Sophist: Isocrates. Despite attempts to justify this action, I feel that editors have created an incomplete volume by excluding this thinker.

Good book, but confusing af lol. Couldn't understand until my Professor explained it to me. That made all the difference

This is really a two star book with sterling qualities.You expect different. But the arguments aren't frankly as brilliant as the sophists must have been.Why not try to create your own arguments instead?This book focuses on historical realism, and does 'feel like a book' sort of.What it's missing is brilliance. If that's what you really need, there are better options. Like the Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (or many others). Some businessmen are worse, for no good reason.

thanks

Rhetoric, morality, feesAs J. Dillon explains in his excellent introduction, sophist teaching was `all about rhetoric, the all-conquering power of persuasion speech'.Why was (and is) rhetoric so important? Because Athens became a democracy and the ambitious and the prominent citizens had to sway the crowds in the assembly (now on TV).Rhetoric has nothing to do with morality (`it is not the teachers who are bad, but rather those who use it incorrectly'). Of course, sophists expressed their own views on mankind, religion, social issues or politics. Some were political ambassadors of their home country. Others played crucial roles in political upheavals and deadly conflicts.Another constant in their lives were the truly enormous fees they asked for their teachings.Individual assessmentsProtagoras of Abdera was a relativist: `Man is the measure of all things.' or, `The soul is nothing apart from the senses.' and, `Concerning the gods, I am not in a position to know that they exist or not.'Gorgias of Leontini was a pure rhetorician, searching verbal power through metaphors, figurative language, repetitions and apostrophes. His `Encomium of Helen' and `Defense of Palamedes' are superb texts.Prodicus of Ceos was a proto-Wittgenstein, emphasizing the correct use of language and words. He could be the inventor of the theory `that men deified all things that are of benefit for our life.'Hippias of Elis was a proto-Freud, stressing the antinomy between nature (individualism) and convention (culture, laws).Antiphon was another proto-Freud: `the advantages prescribed by laws are shackles upon nature.' He was also a staunch anti-democrat who masterminded the oligarchy of the 'Four Hundred'.Thrasymachus of Chalcedon was a proto-Nietzsche, for whom `might is right': `the just is nothing else than the advantage of the stronger.'Critias of Athens, Plato's cousin, was a real (not a proto-) mass-murderer. As the leader of the puppet regime of `The Thirty Tyrants' set up by Sparta, `he was outstanding in savagery and bloodthirstiness.' He supported Sparta's plan `to give Attica the appearance of a mere pasture for sheep by emptying her of her human herd.'Euthydemus and Dionysius of Chios were proto-Wittgensteins, stressing the ambiguities of language.Alcidamus of Elaea defended orality and improvisation. He was a true democrat: `God left all men free; Nature has made no man a slave.'The Anonymous Jamblichi defend convention against nature: `convention holds men and cities together.'General picture, actualityPart of the sophists' teaching is still very topical: `War, the worst evil to men, leads people to ruin and slavery.' And, `the common use of money is a result of trust; without mutual trust even a great deal of money would not be sufficient.'This book throws also a shrill light on the by some so much admired Spartan society. In fact, its citizens lived continuously in fear of their helots.This book gives an exceptionally clear picture of an important part of Greek history. It provides a deeper understanding of Plato's Dialogues and the works of the major playwrights.It is a must read for all lovers of Greek history and classical texts.

Why are the Sophists – the sellers of Sophia (wisdom) important? Not just because they evoked the contempt of Socrates because the bottom line was that they were more concerned with persuasion than the truth, but also because of their influence on what John Dillon called the Middle Platonists – between the death of Plato and Plotinus, where there seemed to be some mutual poaching of ideas – and it could be difficult as to whether the origin was a Stoic line of thought, or the walking-talking Platonists and the sit down symposia school of Platonists.The introduction is excellent, very clear, placing comments like ‘I have only had the 1 drachma course’ by Socrates, very much in context. The Sophists chosen begin with Protagorus of Abdera, and the approach becomes a model for all the other Sophists discussed: biopic; what they said; what others – apart from the references in the Dialogues of Plato, said – including some of the Dramatists, and later Platonists like Plutarch and people like Clement of Alexandria. This is authorative, scholarly – a veritable mine of information, and very accessible. Rightly in the Penguin classics series: for any budding Platonist, very welcome and easily available additional material.

Looking forward to reading it.