Socrates paper
- Summarize some of the key ideas of the Sophists.
Sophists were public speakers, orators, and hired for their skilled speaking in an orally oriented culture (Rankin, 2014). This gift, they used to arouse many individuals’ ire. They only cared about winning lawsuits, debates, and contests while they charged fees to teach others to be like them. No paperwork was available at this time; thus, the best-presented case orally would win. Their values were winning, and nothing else. The tales would be used for selfish reasons. They were cynical about traditions, and religious beliefs were relativists and secular atheists (Rankin, 2014). To them, no end justified the means. At all costs, they would get what they desired. They focused on the art of persuasion and not the discovery of truth.
- Identify and draw parallels with professionals in our world today who seem to embody the spirit of the Sophists.
Modern-day lawyers and politicians can compare to the Greek sophists. They are worried about convincing others of what they say and not the truth. Politicians convince the public of their worth presenting all sorts of promises. But after the election, they forget about the promises and personal convictions to rely on political interests and opinion polls. Lawyers are generally speakers for hire. With sufficient cash, they present cases to court arguing on either side while foregoing the truth.
- Evaluate the potential value and the potential problems with a Sophistic approach to Truth
Sophists are more concerned about practical knowledge than the fact (Rankin, 2014). They make falsehood appear as truths and vice versa as long as they benefit. Their arguments abused logic and put man as a measure of everything. They taught that religion was a way for the strong to control the weak and that only power and strength mattered. They destroyed foundations of social and moral order and was not an approach that served a simple life as it would mean every man decides what to do- lawlessness. It meant individuals were governed by nothing and could law into their hands…