An introduction to the Sophistic movement of 5th-century Athens and a reinterpretation of the goals and effects of their thought. The text explores the ideas of Socrates, the Sophists and Plato, and the problems of dialogue between thinkers ahead of their times and their contemporary public.
The arrival of the Sophists in Athens in the middle of the fifth century B.C. was a major intellectual event, for they brought with them a new method of teaching founded on rhetoric and bold doctrines which broke away from tradition. In this book de Romilly investigates the reasons for the initial success of the Sophists and the reaction against them, in the context of the culture and civilization of classical Athens.
A lively and engaging introduction to the Sophistic movement....De Romilly deserves much credit for bringing a remarkable immediacy to the subject of the Sophists and their legacy. Classicists and the general public should appreciate this new and controversial assessment of the Sophistic movement.
