COMS 330
Midterm 1
Gorgias - ANSWERpart of the 1st generation of Sophists, Greek sophist, pre-socratic
philosopher and rhetorician
Protagoras - ANSWERfather of debate; pre-Socratic Greek Philosopher, came up with
the idea of a professional Sophist
apocryphal: good story but not true
taught students to argue both sides
pedagogy: methodology of teaching
relativist: takes the position that nothing is really right or wrong, agnostic
believes in perceived truth
Prodicus - ANSWERSemantist,
doesn't have a philosophical goal
1st generation sophist, speaker, teacher, ambassador to Athens from Ceos, Heracles
Speech
Hippias - ANSWERGreek Sophist, contemporary of Socrates, authority on all subjects,
portrayed as vain and arrogant
Made most of his own stuff
polyglot: knows lots of languages
polymath: knows a lot of things
*self-reliance
Dilletante: explores various things, not confined to your field
Internationalist
Natural Law: physis & nomos
Tisias - ANSWERone of the founders of Sophism, teacher of Isocrates
Corax - ANSWERtaught Tisias, one of the founders of rhetoric
Thrasymachus - ANSWERsophist in Ancient Greek, best known as character in The
Republic, "might is right"
Alcidamas - ANSWERGreek sophist and rhetorician, pupil of Gorgias, contemporary of
Isocrates
, COMS 330
Midterm 1
Pericles - ANSWERdemocratizer, Sophists were Pericles' friends
Isocrates - ANSWER2nd generation Sophist
power to persuade allows us to unite (build cities)
speech (logos) makes laws
refute ignorant
truthful
investigate unknown
orators = crowd pleasers
eulogy: his speech praises logos
-defining characteristic of humans = speech and therefore ability to reason sets us
above animals
Demos - ANSWERthe people, root word of Democracy,
o in Ancient Greece, each tribe of Athens (demes) would send representatives to an
assembly
Demos - ANSWERcourt system with a trial by jurors
o Athenians believed that with assembly, everyone would have an equal voice no
matter what class. See Demos
Plutocracy - ANSWERrule by the wealthy, wealth determines power
"The Thirty" - ANSWERleaders who determined death to Athenian citizen; people who
put Socrates to death in Plato's Apology
Characteristics of Athenian life that led to an interest in rhetoric - ANSWERo Democracy
and literacy come hand in hand
o Perceive justice, needed to be able to speak to defend yourself
-lots of lawsuits going on, had to defend self
Sicilian rhetoric - ANSWERmajority of the sophists were from Sicily
Midterm 1
Gorgias - ANSWERpart of the 1st generation of Sophists, Greek sophist, pre-socratic
philosopher and rhetorician
Protagoras - ANSWERfather of debate; pre-Socratic Greek Philosopher, came up with
the idea of a professional Sophist
apocryphal: good story but not true
taught students to argue both sides
pedagogy: methodology of teaching
relativist: takes the position that nothing is really right or wrong, agnostic
believes in perceived truth
Prodicus - ANSWERSemantist,
doesn't have a philosophical goal
1st generation sophist, speaker, teacher, ambassador to Athens from Ceos, Heracles
Speech
Hippias - ANSWERGreek Sophist, contemporary of Socrates, authority on all subjects,
portrayed as vain and arrogant
Made most of his own stuff
polyglot: knows lots of languages
polymath: knows a lot of things
*self-reliance
Dilletante: explores various things, not confined to your field
Internationalist
Natural Law: physis & nomos
Tisias - ANSWERone of the founders of Sophism, teacher of Isocrates
Corax - ANSWERtaught Tisias, one of the founders of rhetoric
Thrasymachus - ANSWERsophist in Ancient Greek, best known as character in The
Republic, "might is right"
Alcidamas - ANSWERGreek sophist and rhetorician, pupil of Gorgias, contemporary of
Isocrates
, COMS 330
Midterm 1
Pericles - ANSWERdemocratizer, Sophists were Pericles' friends
Isocrates - ANSWER2nd generation Sophist
power to persuade allows us to unite (build cities)
speech (logos) makes laws
refute ignorant
truthful
investigate unknown
orators = crowd pleasers
eulogy: his speech praises logos
-defining characteristic of humans = speech and therefore ability to reason sets us
above animals
Demos - ANSWERthe people, root word of Democracy,
o in Ancient Greece, each tribe of Athens (demes) would send representatives to an
assembly
Demos - ANSWERcourt system with a trial by jurors
o Athenians believed that with assembly, everyone would have an equal voice no
matter what class. See Demos
Plutocracy - ANSWERrule by the wealthy, wealth determines power
"The Thirty" - ANSWERleaders who determined death to Athenian citizen; people who
put Socrates to death in Plato's Apology
Characteristics of Athenian life that led to an interest in rhetoric - ANSWERo Democracy
and literacy come hand in hand
o Perceive justice, needed to be able to speak to defend yourself
-lots of lawsuits going on, had to defend self
Sicilian rhetoric - ANSWERmajority of the sophists were from Sicily
