Saturday, April 29, 2006
What's a Sophist?
Okay folks I have been asked in emails what in the hell a "sophist" is. I mean if this is not proof positive that our institutions of higher learning has failed us,I do not know what is.....well either that or I am being the arrogant,elitist,egotistical,prick I have always been accused of being. Well lets say its the former.........okay the latter. The sophists were fifth century teachers in ancient Greece. They taught culture and politics and rhetoric they also applied bogus reasoning and were concerned with winning arguments rather than establishing the truth(kind of like anyone on Fox News and Neo-Cons)Well anyway Plato had a few problems with them. He thought they were liars and "sophistry" became known to mean "fallacious reasoning". Now I must point out that in the beginning(pre-Socratic) to be a "sophist" was actually a good thing. It meant to be wise and to give wisdom. It was actually a very highly complimentary title. But in fairness to Plato the term in the second half of the fifth century especially in Athens the sophists went to the dark side. Okay thats enough on Greek history my head is hurting now.
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With all due respect to Plato, Aristotle and my friend Socrates, Sophists were [just] outside intellectuals. They often sold their sagacity and perspicacity to win civil strifes. I think of them as the lawyers of their time. Sure, they are talk of the party and had good parking spots, but do they know Learning? I wouldn't equate Sophists to the Neocons. In Dana Villa's Socratic Citizenship, he compairs Socrates to the Neocon Messiah Leo Strauss. I can't help but think of Sun Tzu right now; "It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on." -Art of War
(_)0 <-- Just some Juice.
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