Unit I
IN THIS LESSON
In democratic Athens, some begin to charge for lessons in argumentation—and much else.
Topics discussed:
The Sophistic movement in general
The traditional take on Protagoras
Revisionary takes on Protagoras
The psychodynamic reflections of Gorgias
Prodicus' views on the importance of a good vocabulary
For lesson transcripts, go to zencastr.com/The-Luxury-of-Virtue.
Focus Questions
The Sophists grew to popularity in a time when Athens was on the rise in power and influence. How did the Sophistic movement reflect the trends and needs of the Athenian people and her allies?
What is an epistemic peer?
What are the two potential lessons that Protagoras is trying to teach us about disagreements between epistemic peers?
Gorgias teaches us that we should be aware of how our judgments can be influenced by external factors. Think of examples of how your past decisions may have been affected by your immediate environment? Do you feel that judgments made in a state of heightened emotion accurately reflect your true beliefs?
Prodicus stressed the precise use of words and believed that having a large vocabulary would help one form more accurate beliefs. Proven by neuroscience to have some merit, how is it that misusing words can negatively affect our mental states?
There is a notion in all of the Sophists covered that posits that one should understand oneself as part of a greater relationship. What are the specific kinds of relations that are brought up by each philosopher?
Further Reading
David Conan Wolfdorf, Early Greek Ethics.
Robin Waterfield, The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and the Sophists.
Ara Norenzayan, Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict.
Lisa Feldman-Barrett, How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain.
Lee Ross & Richard Nisbett, The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology.