Around 400 to 500 years BC a group emerged in ancient Greece known as the Sophists. They were professional arguers... by the use of persuasive logic and impressive rhetoric they could win any argument - the merits of the argument were of little interest to them - winning was what mattered...
For any aspiring young nobleman who fancied a career in politics, a learning of sophistry was essential - the Greeks liked to debate things... for those who lacked the necessary skills, the sophists would hire themselves out - and do the necessary arguing on behalf of them - often against other sophists, for considerable fees... you can see where elements of our modern adversarial legal system stemmed from...
For hundreds of years the sophists were at the centre of power and wealth - but they were not without their critics - Aristotle, Plato and Socrates while acknowledging their skill, attacked the lack of any underlying ethics or search for truth in their rhetoric...
My point in all this ? I'm wondering if, in the internet era - and in forums in particular - whether sophism is set to re-emerge as a life skill to be developed - and whether there's any money in it... lol !!!
For any aspiring young nobleman who fancied a career in politics, a learning of sophistry was essential - the Greeks liked to debate things... for those who lacked the necessary skills, the sophists would hire themselves out - and do the necessary arguing on behalf of them - often against other sophists, for considerable fees... you can see where elements of our modern adversarial legal system stemmed from...
For hundreds of years the sophists were at the centre of power and wealth - but they were not without their critics - Aristotle, Plato and Socrates while acknowledging their skill, attacked the lack of any underlying ethics or search for truth in their rhetoric...
My point in all this ? I'm wondering if, in the internet era - and in forums in particular - whether sophism is set to re-emerge as a life skill to be developed - and whether there's any money in it... lol !!!
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