Having looked at the Sophists and at Plato's opinion of their work, we can see that the reputation of rhetoric as deceitful goes back at least 2,500 years. That raises several questions. Is it rhetoric that is at fault, or is it the people who use rhetoric? Can the two be separated? Under what circumstances might rhetoric be absolutely necessary? What about ethics and morality and their relationship to rhetoric? How are they (or should they be) intertwined?
Man is the measure of all things; of things that are not, that they are not; of things that are, that they are. (Protagoras)
Nothing exists. If anything did exist, we could not know it. If we could know that something existed, we could not communicate it. (Gorgias)
It has been suggested that the Sophists are more "modern" than other classical figures. What is there about the above quotes that seems modern? What are the common characteristics of sophistry and (post)modernism? How are they not alike?
Philosopher Richard Weaver coined the expressions "god term" and "devil term." According to Foss, a god term would be "a term to which the highest respect is paid in a culture." A good current example might be "patriot" as a god term and "unAmerican" as a devil term. "Citizen" is another term we give significant respect to, but we might differ on what the definition of a "good citizen" is.
In a piece called "Civics Lessons Beyond the Classroom" (part of a "Citizen Student" series), NPR's Morning Edition draws attention to two modes of citizenship - community service and political action. (Read more here.) Which of these, or what combination of these, constitutes good citizenship? What other beliefs or actions might be necessary to good citizenship?
1. the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively.
2. Language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous.