The Cambridge companion to the Sophists /

The Classical Greek sophists, Protagoras, Gorgias, Prodicus, Hippias and Antiphon, among others, are some of the most important figures in the flourishing of linguistic, historical and philosophical reflection at the time of Socrates. They are also some of the most controversial. What makes the soph...

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Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Billings, Joshua, 1985- (Editor), Moore, Christopher, 1981- (Editor)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, [2023].
Series:Cambridge companions to philosophy.
Subjects:
Description
Summary:The Classical Greek sophists, Protagoras, Gorgias, Prodicus, Hippias and Antiphon, among others, are some of the most important figures in the flourishing of linguistic, historical and philosophical reflection at the time of Socrates. They are also some of the most controversial. What makes the sophists distinctive, and what they contributed to fifth-century intellectual culture, has been hotly debated since the time of Plato. They have often been derided as reactionaries, relativists or cynically superficial thinkers, or as mere opportunists, making money from wealthy democrats eager for public repute. This volume takes a fresh perspective on the sophists, who really counted as one, how distinctive they were and what kind of sense later thinkers made of them. In three sections, contributors address the sophists' predecessors and historical and professional context; their major intellectual themes, including language, ethics, society and religion and their reception from the fourth century BCE to modernity.
Physical Description:x, 509 pages ; 23 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 462-497) and index.
ISBN:9781108494687
1108494684
1108796850
9781108796859