In Ancient Greece, Socrates and the Sophists were in opposition, and their feud was recorded in the history books. Socrates was one of the philosophers to lay the groundwork for rebuttals against the Sophists. His anti-Sophist work was influential for Western Civilization. In this article, I will briefly explain who the Sophists were, what they believed, and why Socrates disagreed with them.
The Sophists introduced a reasonably radical idea into Greek culture—Truth is subjective. The idea that morals don’t exist was the foundation of their beliefs. Unlike their other pre-Socratic philosopher counterparts who looked for greater truths in the universe, the Sophists rejected that way of thinking and adopted a valueless, self-gaining philosophy. Protagoras famously said, “Everybody individually defines right and wrong.” In other words, he argued that morals and truth are subjective, which is relativism. If they are subjective, the more persuasive person will always be correct. With that philosophy, the Sophists became masters of rhetoric. They taught their debating and public speaking skills for monetary gain. That’s not wrong—they can do that—but it’s certainly noteworthy when other philosophers taught for free. To the Sophists, debating wasn’t about finding the truth. It was about winning. In Plato’s dialogue, The Republic, he condensed the Sophist doctrine when Thrasymachus said, “Justice is what’s advantageous for the stronger.” Often, we think of justice as a moral code protecting the weak from the strong. Thrasymachus and his fellow Sophists believed in the opposite. They argued justice was whatever the strong wanted.
Socrates disagreed. People shouldn’t do whatever benefits them. Instead, they should embrace justice regardless of the consequences. Plus, he believed relativism itself was a fallacy. If truth is different for each person, then that truth (that truth is different for each person) is also, by default, different for each person! At this point, Socrates could completely dismantle their argument by simply saying, “I do not believe in relativism. That truth doesn’t work for me.” Unlike the Sophists, Socrates thought there were consistent principles everywhere in life, and wise men look for those principles. A good life is the pursuit of knowledge.
In conclusion, Socrates and the Sophists held to radically different doctrines. The Sophists held to relativism, the concept that truth is subjective. Socrates believed that relativism was farcical nonsense, and solidified himself as their great adversary.
Asher Sisneros 