The Sophists

And why my blog is named after them

Ancient Athens was a melting pot of ideas, and the Sophists played an important role in shaping the intellectual culture despite being viewed as morally corrupting. Socrates himself was accused of being a Sophist. Image: Socrates’ Address, by Louis Joseph Lebrun, 1867 (Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons).

Like “cynic”, “sophist” is a word with ancient roots and a pejorative modern meaning.

In fact, most ancient philosophies have a modern meaning that contradicts the original meaning. “Skeptic” doesn’t mean “to not believe”, it means “to enquire”, that is, “test your beliefs and non-beliefs” — something we should all do a lot more. “Stoic” doesn’t mean “cool-hearted indifference”, it means “loving everything and everybody”. “Epicurean” doesn’t mean “indulging in luxuriant pleasures”, it means “appreciating the simple pleasures”. “Sophistic” isn’t “being cunningly deceptive”, it’s “improving yourself intellectually.”

In its modern use, Sophistry is the use of smart but specious arguments to bend and warp the real nature of things to suit the purposes of the person making the argument. It’s a useful way to call out deceit, especially in politics.

We tend to abuse the original labels of ancient philosophies while holding their progenitors in high esteem, but a general disdain and distaste for the Sophists themselves lingers.

Sophists Are Misunderstood

Why do the Sophists have such a terrible reputation these days? Well, the Sophists are best known as antagonists in Plato’s dialogues, and Plato’s ideas have an indelible…