The Sophists

The Basics
First on the floor are a group of people called the Sophists. They had a very positive view of this “rhetoric” business; they considered it to be a form of high art, and that to develop rhetorical skill was to develop virtue, and virtue was a good thing to have. The Sophists felt that it was important to cultivate good character in order to fulfill one’s civic duty and generally, be a good Greek. Despite their emphasis on “virtue,” a defining characteristic of the Sophist philosophy is the rejection of absolute Truth. For the Sophists, there wasn’t any way to know if there were hard, fast rules and morals for every given situation, and no matter what you thought, someone out there was going to see things differently. If truth existed, it wasn’t going to speak for itself, so we’d be better off denying its existence. Hence, the rhetorician’s job was to create what they called “the better illusion.” and coming to a consensus to prevent social anarchy. Rhetoric, for them, was “epistemic;” rhetoricians had the potential to sculpt reality for their listeners, to create knowledge. It was up to them to use that ability to control and positively influence society. Debate was necessary for a free and healthy state. The Sophists also emphasized kairos, or in laymen’s terms, opportune timing, making sure you’re at the right place at the right time with the right people and that you say the right things at the right time once you’re there.

The Major Players
Gorgias- Author of Encomium of Helen. Gorgias was very interested in body language and poetic devices to embellish the delivery of the speech. Rhetoric was an art after all. You’ll have to read Helen eventually, but for now, here’s a summary; Gorgias goes to great lengths to exonerate Helen of Troy from any wrongdoing in that nasty Troy fiasco (yes, the thing with the giant horse). In true Sophist fashion, he covers all the bases and lists several different possible situations and final judgments (love, fate, victimization, etc. etc. etc.)

Isocrates- Though he is often overlooked in rhetoric classes, Isocrates was actually very influential in his day and established many standards for rhetoric and education. The Sophists were very concerned with virtue, and Isocrates laid out three purposes for public speaking. Rhetoric, he said, should….

1. Heal 
2. Be used for political aims 
3. Or provide care-giving functions 

Take Away Points

The Sophists…

• They LIKED rhetoric; it was an art 
• Did NOT believe that absolute truth exists. This will be important later when we compare the different philosophies with each other 
• Were concerned with virtue and thought rhetoric would help with cultivating it 
• Believed in equality and thought that anyone can learn and practice rhetoric through debate. This is also an important point of dissent for the philosophers. 
• Very long, expansive arguments 
• Gorgias was a Sophist and he wrote the Encomium of Helen 
• So was Isocrates, and he established the three aims of rhetoric 

1. Healing 
2. Political aims 
3. Care-giving functions 

So generally, the Sophists were kind of the “do-gooders” of their time. They wanted a well-functioning society with contributing members and they thought rhetoric could persuade a society into order. Because they rejected absolute Truth, their arguments are often long winded and expansive; they had to consider every possibility and every outcome to decide which precedence was best for each situation.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Now onto Platonism…