sophism
Sophism refers to a loose tradition of traveling teachers and rhetoricians in ancient Greece, active mainly in the 5th century BCE. Sophists offered instruction in virtue, rhetoric, public speaking, and practical politics for a fee, preparing citizens to argue effectively in courts and assemblies. The term originally meant wisdom, but in classical sources it acquired a pejorative sense, contrasting with philosophers who pursued universal truth.
Key figures include Protagoras of Abdera, known for a form of relativism often summarized as “Man is
Philosophically, many sophists embraced forms of epistemic skepticism or moral conventionalism, challenging assumptions about absolute knowledge
Legacy and reception: Sophists influenced the development of rhetoric, education, and democratic discourse. In later tradition,