WORLD CIVILIZATION

Detailed explanation-1: -Sophists did not believe that the gods influenced human actions. They also rejected the idea of absolute right or wrong. For the sophists a way of life that was right for one person might be wrong for another. The sophists not only challenge Greek traditions, but they also accepted money for their teaching.

Detailed explanation-2: -They were secular atheists, relativists and cynical about religious beliefs and all traditions. They believed and taught that “might makes right". They were pragmatists trusting in whatever works to bring about the desired end at whatever the cost.

Detailed explanation-3: -That is why Socrates prefers questioning and listening to people to make them really think about what they are saying. Therefore, Socrates’ and the Sophists’ purposes of using rhetoric will lead to different goals, as the Sophists’ aim is for their own gains, whereas Socrates’ is for people’s goods and souls.

Detailed explanation-4: -The sophists were itinerant teachers who accepted fees in return for instruction in oratory and rhetoric, and many claimed they could teach anything and its opposite (thesis and antithesis). Another aspect of their method was the ability to make the weaker argument the stronger.

Detailed explanation-5: -To summarize, the Sophists were traveling rhetoricians who were paid to teach people techniques to becoming great arguers and persuaders. They were relativists who believed there was no absolute truth, only probable.