Flame — HabitableZone

Flame » in reply to Yes, and you fit the description to a tee.

Obviously it escapes you.
Davin L. — (archived)

Sophists, properly, were a bunch of fuggnutz who ran around Greece insisting that Truth was relative, a tool for the powerful to (mis)lead the powerless around with.

To that effect, they studied logic and rhetoric. However, their MAIN motive in doing so was to develop and employ a style of argumentation that mis-directed arguments by either introducing fallacy (non-apparent contradictions as premises) or premises that were inconsistent (usually misinterpretations favorable to their position) with reality OR using argumentative fallacy to misdirect debate. Their goal was to win arguments and ONLY win arguments, not seek truth.

It is SOPHISTRY that caused proper philosophy to react strongly against the abuse of logic and against Rhetorical Fallacy (strawmen, red herrings, slippery slopes, though they were not named such back then, obviously) etc.

By emphasis on logic and Sound (in the formal sense of Soundness) Rhetorical technique, and by my refusal to entertain subjectivity or relativism in ANY matter, I am about as far from a Sophist as alpha centauri.

Again, you have dropped the thin veil around your ignorance, you should cover yourself more dearly.

Davin L.

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (99 posts)