Chapter 3: The Sophists Flashcards
What do we call it when a person believes that their religion, their culture, and their beliefs are the right way of being or superior to all others?
a. Eurocentric
b. Ethnocentrism
c. Fallacious
d. Arrogance
b. Ethnocentrism
Which of the following is the best characterization of the Greek sense of the word barbarian?
a. A skilled craftsman specializing in creating ornate barstools
b. A historian focused on the evolution and cultural significance of bartering systems throughout history
c. People whose language sounded like noise or nonsense to the Greeks
d. Someone who hunts or kills animals not for eating but for exploitation
c. People whose language sounded like noise or nonsense to the Greeks
What event or events led to the development of sophistry?
a. Contradictions among Athenian philosophers who were arrogant yet practiced asceticism
b. Migration, improved trade routes, and the emergence of the middle class
c. A natural progression of Socrates’s students growing up and expanding upon his ideas
d. The death of Socrates
b. Migration, improved trade routes, and the emergence of the middle class
What is a Sophist?
a. They are scholars who specialized in the analysis of ancient manuscripts, deciphering complex scripts and languages.
b. They are academics who researched and taught the history of sophistication in various cultures, examining art, fashion, and etiquette.
c. They are linguists who studied the evolution of sophisticated language and its impact on communication in different societies.
d. They are rhetoricians who received payment for their skills. They are cultured and sophisticated, the original social scientists who studied human behavior rather than the natural world.
d. They are rhetoricians who received payment for their skills. They are cultured and sophisticated, the original social scientists who studied human behavior rather than the natural world.
How did the Sophists’ beliefs differ from those of Athenian philosophers?
a. Sophists believe that truth can be found only through asceticism and renunciation of your material wealth, whereas philosophers believe that one’s wealth has nothing to do with the pursuit of truth.
b. The Sophists and the philosophers alike agree about the method to find truth but disagree about who is capable of using the method.
c. At the time, philosophers believed that truth was relative to Athenian experience, and the Sophists believed that the only way to find truth is through logic and reason.
d. Philosophers believed in logical and sound reasoning of arguments to seek wisdom and truth, whereas Sophists believed that truth was relative to custom and individual preference.
d. Philosophers believed in logical and sound reasoning of arguments to seek wisdom and truth, whereas Sophists believed that truth was relative to custom and individual preference.
Why does the difference between sophistry and seeking truth matter in today’s era?
a. Rather than understand the difference, our goal should be to use sophistry but disguise it as truth, especially in business. Without a successful economy, we cannot progress.
b. The rise of technology only helps to mask the differences, which were obvious to ancients, so we need to study the distinction in our context.
c. It matters because people still believe in truth despite the fact that truth is only relative. They are wasting their time.
d. Because truth matters. If we believe what is false, fake news, or alternative facts, we can be manipulated and harmed. Critical thinking can help us distinguish truth from untruths.
d. Because truth matters. If we believe what is false, fake news, or alternative facts, we can be manipulated and harmed. Critical thinking can help us distinguish truth from untruths.
What according to the Sophists is the only “natural” good?
a. Power
b. Communication
c. Survival
d. Happiness
a. Power
Which of the following characterizations best fits what the technique of sophistry is?
a. Sophistry is using good argumentation such as logic and reason to persuade people of a particular view.
b. Sophistry is using emotional appeals, physical appearance, and clever language to sell a particular point of view.
c. Sophistry is the ability to acquire money through any means necessary.
d. Sophistry is a term that denotes the people who wore the ring of Gyges to aid in their sexual conquests.
b. Sophistry is using emotional appeals, physical appearance, and clever language to sell a particular point of view.
Who were the “prostitutes of wisdom,” according to Socrates?
a. Sophists
b. Philosophers
c. Athenians
d. Rationalists
a. Sophists
Which of the following concepts means that what is right and true is based on the perceptions and qualities of the observer?
a. Consequentialism
b. Subjectivism
c. Deontology
d. Relativism
d. Relativism
Which of the following is true of someone who decides to take a relativistic stance in ethics?
a. In order to find out what is right, you have to ask yourself, does this benefit me for some other end, or is this what is right in duty?
b. You get to debate with other people why their moral position is incorrect.
c. It will help you decide what is the single right action by figuring out what the greatest consequence is.
d. You cannot make cross-cultural judgments about right and wrong, even in cases of harm.
d. You cannot make cross-cultural judgments about right and wrong, even in cases of harm.
Which brand of relativism asserts that different people have different values?
a. Cultural relativism
b. Individual relativism
c. Transcendental relativism
d. Descriptive relativism
d. Descriptive relativism
Which philosopher was credited with the idea that what is true or right is dependent on the context or society you are in? In other words, what is useful is what you think is useful, and what it takes to live a life well or happily is dependent on the norms and mores of that place.
a. Eulathas
b. Socrates
c. Arendt
d. Protagoras
d. Protagoras
According to Hannah Arendt, why are sophistry and propaganda so devastating?
a. Because innocuous manipulation becomes customary
b. Because they will persuade people to buy things that they do not need
c. Because they destroy reality and the dignity of human action
d. Because they destroy human thought
c. Because they destroy reality and the dignity of human action
What did Orwellian sophistry and Protagoras’s pragmatism have in common?
a. Orwellian sophistry and Protagoras’s pragmatism are different because Orwellian sophistry was harmful in a way that Protagoras’s ideas were not. Protagoras was skilled in rhetoric but was well intentioned.
b. Orwell wrote about the application of Protagoras’s ideas, specifically, how using language to manipulate people can infect society by making lies sound truthful.
c. They both were executed for corrupting the youth. Although they lived in different time periods, they both wrote radically different ideas that were not acceptable at the time.
d. Both Orwell and Protagoras sought sycophants; their main goal was to write their novels to generate a huge following that would pay them the homage money.
b. Orwell wrote about the application of Protagoras’s ideas, specifically, how using language to manipulate people can infect society by making lies sound truthful.
How might you explain moral realism to someone not in our class?
a. The real morality can only be found by careful consideration of what is most useful.
b. It is the idea that moral considerations are not needed because “might makes right.”
c. Morality is based on what is “real” to you.
d. Moral realism is the idea that what is moral is not dependent on what is legal but what will bring about the best consequences for a given culture. What is moral is what is “natural.”
b. It is the idea that moral considerations are not needed because “might makes right.”
What is Callicles’s version of moral realism?
a. His version is that the strong naturally dominate over the weak; convention has no bearing.
b. His version is that the only “natural right” is that everyone be equal.
c. His version is that the phrase “survival of the fittest” is a misinterpretation of Darwin; if you are a frog in a pond without water, you will die. So, living well is about the environmental conditions.
d. His version is that there is no superman; slavery is wrong in any context.
a. His version is that the strong naturally dominate over the weak; convention has no bearing.
What is the doctrine of the superior individual?
a. It is a highly individualistic view that some people are superior over others because of their individual virtues and traits.
b. The superior individual possesses strong moral principles and consistently acts with righteousness. This includes being honest, just, and upholding ethical standards in all aspects of life.
c. Despite their superior moral standing, the superior individual remains humble and modest, avoiding arrogance and pride.
d. Maintaining harmonious relationships is crucial for the superior individual. They practice loyalty, filial piety, and respect in all their interactions.
a. It is a highly individualistic view that some people are superior over others because of their individual virtues and traits.
Does history support the idea that “might makes right”?
a. No. Everyone knows that wealth is the only determining factor for power.
b. No. What is right cannot be determined by physical strength, and throughout history we are reminded of this.
c. Yes. The people in power are the people who are the most naturally physically and mentally fit.
d. Yes. Any sort of societal progression occurred only when the marginalized groups had strength in numbers.
d. Yes. Any sort of societal progression occurred only when the marginalized groups had strength in numbers.
Although Sophists have been given a bad reputation in philosophy, what is something positive that the Sophist brought to the Athenians?
a. They brought with them logic and reasoning to help improve the philosopher’s method of reasoning.
b. They laid the groundwork for the future study of human behavior and offered the Greeks a way of thinking nonreligiously.
c. They brought the most innovative weapons to help the Greeks ward off future enemies.
d. They brought sophistication to the Greeks through their wine, food, and worldliness.
b. They laid the groundwork for the future study of human behavior and offered the Greeks a way of thinking nonreligiously.
n George Orwell’s 1984, which of the following techniques is used by the Party to manipulate and control public perception?
a. Symbolism
b. Stream of consciousness
c. Double consciousness
d. Doublethink
d. Doublethink
In what ways do we still see sophistry in the contemporary world?
a. We see sophistry primarily in communication departments in the academy.
b. We see sophistry through manipulative propaganda in advertising in the media, marketing, courtrooms, politics, and news.
c. We see sophistry mainly in films and books when prose is used to take us away from reality.
d. Sophistry is most prevalent in K-12 education where the institution tries to indoctrinate children.
b. We see sophistry through manipulative propaganda in advertising in the media, marketing, courtrooms, politics, and news.
What is one way of viewing sophistry as a necessary skill in the United States?
a. Our legal system depends on a fair trial, and so we need people who are amoral rather than immoral to be able to defend people on trial without bias.
b. You cannot advance in the United States without the ability to manipulate others through language.
c. Religion is a very important freedom that we can exercise through sophistry, so without the skill of sophistry we would lose our places of worship.
d. We need sophistry to create division between political candidates in order to get people to participate in governmental decisions.
a. Our legal system depends on a fair trial, and so we need people who are amoral rather than immoral to be able to defend people on trial without bias.
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How is the idea that “might makes right” challenged in the Declaration of Independence?
a. By supporting colonial expansion
b. By emphasizing the divine right of kings
c. By advocating for absolute monarchy
d. By asserting that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights
d. By asserting that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights
Which of the following is a modern example of propaganda in social media?
a. Fitness tutorials
b. Memes promoting political agendas
c. Viral dance challenges
d. Online gaming communities
b. Memes promoting political agendas
