Protagoras of Abdera in Thrace was born in 490 BCE and died in the year 420 BCE. Being a sophist, he likely travelled throughout Greece, and spent many years in Athens.
Before we begin, let me offer some caution to his work. Because we have very few sources on Protagoras and his historical context highly influenced his thought, I find it appropriate to pause and consider these interpretive issues.
Lacking Sources
Similar to most other Pre-Socratics, very few sources on Protagoras remain today. Our greatest sources are Plato, Diogenes Laertius, and Sextus Empericus. The last two historians lived several thousands years after the death of Protagoras, in which case we may doubt the reliability of their own sources. On the other hand, we depend very heavily on Diogenes for Pre-Socratic accounts.
Historical Context and the Sophists' Tradition
We find that, around the fifth century B.C.E., many characterized the term "sophist" with those who were renowned for their great wisdom or those who professionally tutored pupils.
The Old Sophists, comprised of Protagoras, Prodicus, Gorgias, Euthydemus, Thrasymacus, and Hippias, pushed a philosophical agenda that we now characterize as religiously agnostic, morally and epistemologically relativistic, and rhetorically skilled. These older sophists all played an important role in Plato's Protagoras.
By the fourth century B.C.E., the sophists became synonymous with modern-day lawyers. Because they argued well in public, the Greek world found them very useful in its legal system.
As they mastered the art of rhetoric, they became increasingly instrumental in the court system. However, they would often promote justice in one trial, then turn around and argue on behalf of justice, which began to give them a bad reputation. These negative connotations survive today, as we define the term "sophistry" as deception or deception rhetoric.
The Three Major Themes of Protagoras
Orthoepeia, or the study of using words correctly. Many late sources credit Protagoras as the first formal grammarian, which equated to work in what we now consider syntax. We see in Plato's Protagoras a scene in which Protagoras interprets a poem by comparing the writer's intentions and the literal meaning of the words, a method popularly employed in the courtroom.
Man as the measure of all things. "Of all things, the measure is man, of the things that are, and how they are, and of things that are not, and how they are not" (Protagoras, DK80b1). Allow me to elaborate on this.
Imagine a homecoming, where relatives meet in a house at room temperature in the fantastic state of Tennessee. Jane and Wendy are two of those visiting.
Jane insists that it feels cold in the house, while Wendy insists otherwise. Wendy is visiting from Northern Canada, a very cold place indeed, and Jane has come up from an area in North Brazil that sits on the very hot, Equator. Who else can best describe his or her bodily state or perceptions that the individual who experiences them?
Protagoras insisted that we could prove neither girl wrong. While this example is a bit silly, the philosophical implications, namely that absolute Truth has succumbed to relativism, certainly made a grand impression on the Ancient Greeks. Protagoras, in short, ultimately pushed a philosophical agenda of moral and epistemological relativism.
Agnosticism. The Sophists, including Protagoras, all pointed to the absurd stories in the epics of the gods, most namely because of the gods' questionable and inconsistent moralities.
Protagoras was not an unrighteous man, as Plato himself painted Protagoras as a generous and upright individual. Protagoras merely suggested, "Concerning the gods, I have no means of knowing whether they exist or not or of what sort they may be. Many things prevent knowledge including the obscurity of the subject and the brevity of human life." (Protagoras, DK 80 B4).
Protagoras' Overshadowed Influence on Philosophy
Although Protagoras himself did not stir up any particular movement in intellectual history, the Sophists' work in general turned Greek philosophy from the natural sciences to human philosophy. They caused Plato to combat their relativism with his own ideas on absolute Truth, or the World of Forms. And their thoughts still speak meaningfully into recent movements in relativism and subjectivity.
All the Philosophy Books you could want! If you get a chance, visit the Best Philosophy Books site.
No comments:
Post a Comment