Topic 2: Influence of New Thinking and Ideas on Athenian Society Flashcards
Key Sophists
- Sophists means wise man and refers to a group of thinkers that questioned traditional beliefs and values.
- Ambitious Athenian aristocrats thought it would help them get a higher education.
- Protagoras - Argued for relativism, Plato says he invented the role of proffesional sophist.
- Hippias - A contemporay of Socrates, he studied geography, astronomy.
- Gorgias - Specialised in rhetoric, from Sicily but came to Athens as an embassy.
- Prodicus - Taught philososphy and politics, focused on language.
- Plato and Xenophon tried to seperate Socrates from Sophists as they disapproved of chaging money for knowledge.
The Sophists and Rhetoric
- Rhetoric is the art of using language effectivly and persuasivly.
- The most famous sophist was Gorgias, Encomium of Helen.
- This work argued that Helen was not to be blamed for the Trojan war due to physical force, love, speech (witchcraft) and the gods.
- Plato was critical of teaching rhetoric as it didnt teach what was actually wrong of right.
- PLATO - GORGIAS - Ignorant people qwho are persuasive are moe poweful that intellegent people who lack persuasiveness.
- ARISTOTLE - RHETORIC - It is deceptive and involves no real probability.
- Plato and Xenophon are unewliable as they say rhetoric asa personal insult to theirintellegence so doesnt come nuetrally or reflect opinions of the general public.
Sophists and Comedy
- An example is Aristophanes’ Clouds.
- It was first performed in 423 but rewritten in 419 which is what we have.
- Its about a father Strepsaides who send his son Pheidippides to the thinkery to argue his way out of debts.
- In the thinkery, you pay to learn how pesuasion to get your way, regardless of whether it is good or bad.
- The moral seems to be that rhetoric and philososphy in generaal is bad as it teaches you to disrespect the gods and is anti democratic - Aristophanes was an aristocrat.
- Socates’ reputation was wuite damaged from this, as he was tried and executed for corrupting the youth - Plato’s apology gives us an account.
- Socrates was accused of being an athiest, encourgaed young men to be lazy, and beleives in cience and gravity.
Sophists and Tragedy
- These were serious plays built around a moral message.
- Normslly based off a chaacter form greek mythology.
- They often had shocking and brutal acts but no violence was performed on stage.
- They werent meant to carrry obvious political messAGES but they wee heavily ispied by events of the time.
- Aeschaylus, Sophocles, Euripides, like Hippolytus.
- Hippolytus, Phaedra and the nurse and Theseus.
- Euripides’ plays were clearly influencwd by sophists and the trend of rhetoric.
Socrates
•He reacted to the oracme at delphi by asking everyone he thought of as qise, and concluded that he was the wisest.
•The beginning of the Socilian expidition undermined him as he was Alcibiades’ teacher.
•Socrates thiught it was impossible to defend himself as they already decided he was guiktry - he suggested having dinner paid for by citizens foreverm
•Xenaohom and Pllato were hus students.
•Platos Republic - analogy if the ship, the crew are too pwoerful, can easilg overule the caltain.
•He was accused of corrupting the youth and not beleivung in the gods.
• Plato tried to defend him but his speech made it sound as if he wanted to be guilty as he insukted then and didnt brung his children.
•Majoiry found him guiltry, he had to drink hemlock but wanted free dinner forveer paid for by the citizens.
