Concept information
Preferred term
sophists
Definition
- The Sophists were itinerant teachers for hire who taught how to argue effectively and to advance interests in judicial, civic, and business forums in Greece, especially in Athens, largely during the second half of the fifth century BCE. It is clear from the texts of contemporaries that the Sophists played leading roles in articulating important trends that both arose from major Athenian and Greek advances during the period and challenged traditional views and customs. A robust classical democracy was put together in Athens by 458, and after the Greeks repulsed the Persians in 478, for about half a century Athens accumulated what amounted to an empire, making itself the centre of commerce, power, and culture in Greece and the region. [Source: The Encyclopedia of Political Science; Sophists]
Broader concept
Belongs to group
URI
https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/sophists
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