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The Great Sophists in Periclean Athens
The arrival of the Sophists in Athens in the middle of the fifth century B.C. was a major intellectual event, for they brought with them a new method of teaching founded on rhetoric and bold doctrines which broke away from tradition. In this book de Romilly investigates the reasons for the
initial success of the Sophists and the reaction against them, in the context of the culture and civilization of classical Athens.
initial success of the Sophists and the reaction against them, in the context of the culture and civilization of classical Athens.
- GenresPhilosophyHistory
278 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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103 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline de Romilly
94 books38 followersJacqueline Worms de Romilly (March 26, 1913-December 18, 2010) was a French philologist, Classical scholar and writer of fiction of Jewish ancestry.
Born in Chartres, Eure-et-Loir, she studied at the lycée Molière, where she was the winner of the Concours général de latin and took the second prize in Greek in 1930. She then prepared for the École Normale Supérieure at the lycée Louis-le-Grand. She entered ENS Ulm in the class of 1933. She then passed the agrégation of Classics in 1936, and became a doctor of letters in 1947.
After having taught for some time in a school, she became a professor first at the University of Lille and subsequently at the Sorbonne (from 1957 to 1973). She was then elevated to the chair of Greek and the development of moral and political thought at the Collège de France — the first woman nominated to this prestigious institution. In 1988, she was the second woman (after Marguerite Yourcenar) to enter the Académie française, being elected to Chair #7, previously occupied by André Roussin. In 1995, she obtained Greek nationality and in 2000 was nominated Ambassador of Hellenism by the Greek government.
She was at one time president of the Association Guillaume Budé, and remains the honorary president of that institution.
Born in Chartres, Eure-et-Loir, she studied at the lycée Molière, where she was the winner of the Concours général de latin and took the second prize in Greek in 1930. She then prepared for the École Normale Supérieure at the lycée Louis-le-Grand. She entered ENS Ulm in the class of 1933. She then passed the agrégation of Classics in 1936, and became a doctor of letters in 1947.
After having taught for some time in a school, she became a professor first at the University of Lille and subsequently at the Sorbonne (from 1957 to 1973). She was then elevated to the chair of Greek and the development of moral and political thought at the Collège de France — the first woman nominated to this prestigious institution. In 1988, she was the second woman (after Marguerite Yourcenar) to enter the Académie française, being elected to Chair #7, previously occupied by André Roussin. In 1995, she obtained Greek nationality and in 2000 was nominated Ambassador of Hellenism by the Greek government.
She was at one time president of the Association Guillaume Budé, and remains the honorary president of that institution.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 13, 2013
A stellar book.
Anything by de Romilly is worth reading --
This one is especially good:
http://www.amazon.fr/loi-dans-pensée-...
For anyone interested in the Sophistic movement, she is much better and more reliable than Guthrie
Anything by de Romilly is worth reading --
This one is especially good:
http://www.amazon.fr/loi-dans-pensée-...
For anyone interested in the Sophistic movement, she is much better and more reliable than Guthrie
September 10, 2021
In this short, dense book, De Romilly presents the sophists not as they are traditionally portrayed, as the ignorant, haughty contrarians to the philosophers, but rather as a necessary, intermediate step in the stair of progress culminating to the philosophers. The sophists were the catalysts that drove Plato to formulate a complete synthesis.
The sophists came to prominence at a time when Greek city states were undergoing cultural revolutions in several areas. The Greek tragedians (e.g. Aeschylus) where beginning to focus less on man as a helpless animal, struggling to live out his life amidst the actions and consequences of the gods, and instead sought to explore ways in which man controlled his own destiny. The Olympians finally took a back seat to man, though they didn't leave the scene. Similar movements where happening in history via the works of Herodotus and Thucydides. Medicine was starting to look more empirical and depend less on magic, via the efforts of Diogenes of Apollonia (culminating in Hippocrates). The sophists, whether a cause of this movement or simply in parallel, certainly catalyzed it, and were catalyzed in return.
The contributions of the sophists were several. 1) The notion that virtue could be learned through education. This was controversial for being contrary to the Homeric tradition that virtue stemmed from Olympic lineage, and in fact, this line of thought is anathema to rulers of aristocratic societies, such as Greece largely was. 2) The notion of formal, paid education. Plato heavily denigrated the notion of charging for knowledge, and while modern readers may sympathize, I think few of us would apply the same critique to modern day educators. But modern educators and the sophists have a similarity not shared with the philosophers: largely the practicality of the information proffered. The sophists taught skills applicable in the day to day life (rhetoric, public speaking, etc.), the results of which were immediately obvious. It's hard to rationalize the material gain acquired from understanding "the good" or universals, as taught by the philosophers. Lastly, and perhaps a little more eye-opening, Plato was a landed aristocrat with an entourage of slaves and servants. It seems a little hypocritical for him to advocate against earning a living while never himself, actually having to work. De Romilly credits the existence of formal education in modern times directly to the revolutionary efforts of the sophists concerning education.
Rhetoric was initially formalized and advocated by two Sicilians, Corax and his pupil Tisias, but soon was adopted by the sophists. Georgias was known for his style (appeal to emotions), why Protagorus for his rigor of the language. One of the often used devices of rhetoric is that of 'Opposed speeches', or two sides to every question. The practical goals of rhetoric were often realized within the courtroom, and this raised the conflict between rhetoric and the nature of justice. Justice had usually been assumed absolute, yet anyone more skilled than their opponent could win a court case. This led many to view rhetoric as unjust. This ultimately leads to Protagorus' famous saying, "of all things the measure is man." While Protagorus never denied the existence of the gods, he denied the ability to know anything of them, and therefore chose to ignore them. This sophist line of thought led to a 'Tabula Rasa' which in turn led to a general rethinking of the values of society and rebuilding them upon a more practical and less mystical basis. This encompassed many concerns which are echoed in modern times, for instance, determining the origin of virtue and justice (if not from god, then whence?). Another product of the refoundationing of value was the sowing of the seed for what would become known, centuries later, as the social contract. Man's worth would no longer be determined by lineage or the gods.
In this book, the sophists are separated into two categories, primary being the original and main thinkers (Protagorus, Georgias, etc), and secondary being their pupils and later generations (Thrasymachus, etc).
The Conclusion and Afterthoughts of this book is very good, and provides a great summary. Worth the occasional reread.
Readers should be well versed in the classic era, including historical events, people and poems. A thorough understanding of Plato's Republic and Protagoras would also be beneficial (though not necessary) as they are constantly referenced.
The sophists came to prominence at a time when Greek city states were undergoing cultural revolutions in several areas. The Greek tragedians (e.g. Aeschylus) where beginning to focus less on man as a helpless animal, struggling to live out his life amidst the actions and consequences of the gods, and instead sought to explore ways in which man controlled his own destiny. The Olympians finally took a back seat to man, though they didn't leave the scene. Similar movements where happening in history via the works of Herodotus and Thucydides. Medicine was starting to look more empirical and depend less on magic, via the efforts of Diogenes of Apollonia (culminating in Hippocrates). The sophists, whether a cause of this movement or simply in parallel, certainly catalyzed it, and were catalyzed in return.
The contributions of the sophists were several. 1) The notion that virtue could be learned through education. This was controversial for being contrary to the Homeric tradition that virtue stemmed from Olympic lineage, and in fact, this line of thought is anathema to rulers of aristocratic societies, such as Greece largely was. 2) The notion of formal, paid education. Plato heavily denigrated the notion of charging for knowledge, and while modern readers may sympathize, I think few of us would apply the same critique to modern day educators. But modern educators and the sophists have a similarity not shared with the philosophers: largely the practicality of the information proffered. The sophists taught skills applicable in the day to day life (rhetoric, public speaking, etc.), the results of which were immediately obvious. It's hard to rationalize the material gain acquired from understanding "the good" or universals, as taught by the philosophers. Lastly, and perhaps a little more eye-opening, Plato was a landed aristocrat with an entourage of slaves and servants. It seems a little hypocritical for him to advocate against earning a living while never himself, actually having to work. De Romilly credits the existence of formal education in modern times directly to the revolutionary efforts of the sophists concerning education.
Rhetoric was initially formalized and advocated by two Sicilians, Corax and his pupil Tisias, but soon was adopted by the sophists. Georgias was known for his style (appeal to emotions), why Protagorus for his rigor of the language. One of the often used devices of rhetoric is that of 'Opposed speeches', or two sides to every question. The practical goals of rhetoric were often realized within the courtroom, and this raised the conflict between rhetoric and the nature of justice. Justice had usually been assumed absolute, yet anyone more skilled than their opponent could win a court case. This led many to view rhetoric as unjust. This ultimately leads to Protagorus' famous saying, "of all things the measure is man." While Protagorus never denied the existence of the gods, he denied the ability to know anything of them, and therefore chose to ignore them. This sophist line of thought led to a 'Tabula Rasa' which in turn led to a general rethinking of the values of society and rebuilding them upon a more practical and less mystical basis. This encompassed many concerns which are echoed in modern times, for instance, determining the origin of virtue and justice (if not from god, then whence?). Another product of the refoundationing of value was the sowing of the seed for what would become known, centuries later, as the social contract. Man's worth would no longer be determined by lineage or the gods.
In this book, the sophists are separated into two categories, primary being the original and main thinkers (Protagorus, Georgias, etc), and secondary being their pupils and later generations (Thrasymachus, etc).
The Conclusion and Afterthoughts of this book is very good, and provides a great summary. Worth the occasional reread.
Readers should be well versed in the classic era, including historical events, people and poems. A thorough understanding of Plato's Republic and Protagoras would also be beneficial (though not necessary) as they are constantly referenced.
December 26, 2024
Se asiste así a este milagro de ver la misma ciudad alumbrar, en los mismos años, a las dos formas más opuestas del pensamiento: una, donde todo es humanismo; otra, donde todo es trascendencia; una, donde todo es práctico y otra, donde todo es idealista.
Pensar en los sofistas es, casi en todos los casos y, escasamente de forma voluntaria, evocar una imagen tergiversada por siglos de tradición y hasta por sus mismos contemporáneos. No es por nada que el término "sofista" se use normalmente de manera despectiva. Este grandioso volumen de Rommilly nos trae cierta luz en uno de los temas a veces más ignorados y malintepretados de la cultura griega. La Atenas de Pericles, que presenció el alumbramiento de la filosofía y ésta, a través de Platón, de una metafísica firme y normativa, sería también la cuna de un humanismo racionalista, escéptico y práctico, éste que lideraron los sofistas y cuya influencia vemos hasta nuestros días. Su papel en la configuración de la cultura griega como ta y de su legado cultural e ideológico es inneglable. Este tomo se aventura a ir más allá de los testimonios confusos y nada fieles que conservamos de ellos, un bello intento por entender sus primeras intenciones, su actividad, sus ideas, y todo cuanto podamos aprender de ellos.
Maravillosa edición que nos trae algo de justicia a los tan erróneamente sancionados y malinterpretados sofistas.
November 22, 2016
To call someone a sophist is an insult. It shouldn't be. Insults should be more specific.
In this contemporary classic Jacquline de Romilly demonstrates that the Sophists of fifth century BC Athens were a diverse and important group of thinkers who have been given a bad rap over the centuries. In particular, Protagoras, Gorgias and Prodicus brought important new perspectives – substantive and methodological – to the process of thinking about the world and humanity's place in it. Their works may be largely lost but the influence they had on their contemporaries and subsequent thinkers was substantial. De Romilly demonstrates this clearly in a scholarly but very readable book that should be read by anyone interested in the intellectual heritage of the West.
In this contemporary classic Jacquline de Romilly demonstrates that the Sophists of fifth century BC Athens were a diverse and important group of thinkers who have been given a bad rap over the centuries. In particular, Protagoras, Gorgias and Prodicus brought important new perspectives – substantive and methodological – to the process of thinking about the world and humanity's place in it. Their works may be largely lost but the influence they had on their contemporaries and subsequent thinkers was substantial. De Romilly demonstrates this clearly in a scholarly but very readable book that should be read by anyone interested in the intellectual heritage of the West.
August 7, 2025
Una idea muy buena sobre un tema tan denso que a mi gusto se queda a medias. Da demasiado por sentado que conoces centenas de referencias y fragmentos oscuros de los sofistas en vez de desarrollar el tema en el propio texto. Pero su mayor defecto el cual casi me hace dejarlo fue su estructura, pese a la heterogeneidad en el pensamiento de los sofistas el texto insiste en tratar a todos ellos a la vez en apartados minusculos saltando entre ellos continuamente lo que dificulta mucho la lectura.
Si bien aporta otra cara de la moneda y sirve como reivindicación de los aportes que estos autores tuvieron en la educación y filosofía posterior, no puedo recomendar más que ciertos apartados específicos
Si bien aporta otra cara de la moneda y sirve como reivindicación de los aportes que estos autores tuvieron en la educación y filosofía posterior, no puedo recomendar más que ciertos apartados específicos
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews