Preston Donovan

COM 216 1001

February 21, 2016

COM 216 Assessment 2

1. Demonstrate what you know about the sophists from the reading. Answer the following: Who

were the sophists? What did they do? Why were they controversial?

Sophists are skilled rhetoricians. They are responsible for bringing rhetoric to Athens.

The title Sophistes carried with it something of the modem meaning of professor-an authority,

an expert, a teacher (Herrick, p. 34). With their knowledge of rhetoric sophists can play a

variety of roles such as professional speechwriter, public speaking teacher, or an orator. Sophists

were known for their excellent use of language. Sophists taught rhetoric and speech making as

well as arte, meaning personal excellence and virtue. Sophists promised their teachings would

allow a student to gain mastery over other people through speech (Herrick, p. 35). Students

would be able to make the worst case appear the better (Herrick), p. 35) by practicing the

dialectical method. The dialectic method involved debating for and against a proposition.

Students were also trained to memorize speeches and baffle audiences with their developed

memory. The Sophists' teaching methods helped students to analyze cases, to think on their feet,

to ask probing questions, to speak eloquently, and to pose counter arguments to an opponent's

case (Herrick, p. 36). These abilities were doubted by many Athenians. To be able to make a

worse claim appear the better, the sophists must use deceptive argumentation, and many Greeks

saw them as a threat to their society. It also angered Athenians that sophists were paid so much

simply to teach how to speak persuasively. Aristocratic families wanted to keep higher education
exclusively to themselves, but the Sophists taught anyone with money. Sophists also seemed

suspicious because they were all travelers and people are careful around rootless foreigners.

Their travel also taught them about many cultures and how vast they can differ. Sophists could

have introduced different culture and cause a problem within a society. Sophists had a view of

truth that didnt come from the gods. They believed truth is discovered through arguments and

that it can vary between people, which threatened conservative Athenians. Sophists also believed

justice should not be set up by absolute authorities such as gods and believed justice to be social

agreement.

2. Discuss one prominent person discussed in the reading. What was his/her major contributions

to the study of rhetoric? Why did you choose him/her; what makes him/her interesting to you?

Isocrates focused on improving the political practices of Athens. He was interested in

teaching his students to make wise and effective political judgements. For Isocrates, it was

rhetoric-the power to persuade each other-that made human civilization itself possible

(Herrick, p. 44). Morality was a large factor to his teachings. He wanted students with the natural

senses of right and wrong, which he believes cannot be taught. Unlike many sophists, he did not

think arte could be taught. An unjust person cannot live a moral life unless they already have

morality in them. Isocrates thought politicians misused rhetoric by making false promises and

not actually caring about the citizens. He believes the justice system should not use rhetoric

either. Instead, rhetoric should be used as a tool to advance Greek ideas. He wanted Greece to

become united and for the city-states to quit fighting so they can work against their common

enemy, Persia. I chose Isocrates because the name was familiar from my LIT 232 and PHIL 101

classes. Because he studied under Socrates his believes had much to do with morality. While I do
believe morality can be taught unlike Isocrates, I do agree with many of his beliefs such as using

rhetoric in schools but not for politics and teaching rhetoric throughout Greece to help allow the

city-states to better solve their conflicts. Herrick states Isocrates charges 1,000 times of the

minimum wage for his course. It does not say how long this course lasted or what it involved, but

$7,250 for each student is about a year of tuition at UNLV. I have a difficult time imagining how

Greek culture was like, but I always think of gods and philosophy.