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Sophist: The Professor of Wisdom

plato eva brann peter kalkavage eric salem keith whitaker

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This is an English translation of Plato presenting a new conception of the Theory of Forms. Socrates and others discuss the epistemological and metaphysical puzzles of the Parmenides, with aims to define the meaning of the Sophist. The glossary of key terms is a unique addition to Platonic literature by which concepts central to each dialogue are discussed and cross-referenced as to their occurrences throughout the work. In such a way students are encouraged to see beyond the words into concepts.

Focus Philosophical Library translations are close to and are non-interpretative of the original text, with the notes and a glossary intending to provide the reader with some sense of the terms and the concepts as they were understood by Plato’s immediate audience.

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,-0360
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greece, 

This edition

Format
104 pages, Paperback
Published
January 1, 1996 by Focus
ISBN
9780941051514
ASIN
094105151X
Language
English
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  • Socrates (philosopher)

    Socrates (philosopher)

    A classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon and the play...

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plato

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Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

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Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
frachma99
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Okay I know I know I know, I have said countless time that I don't like Plato and that I don't like dialogues... Apparently, I do like the Sophist...

I'm not going to try to go into too much details about why I did like this book in contrast to my general opinion on Plato's dialogue, but I think it has something to do with the fact that this dialogue was so clearly rooted in issues of language, semantics and linguistics which is something that plays out best in the act of it. I'm still not completely sold on the idea of dialogue as a feasible philosophical method, but I do think it worked in this case.
And the fact that it was about Parmenides' being and not-being and how both being and negation work - subjects I already found very interesting - probably helped with me liking this one.

Definitely recommend this to anyone interested in a dialogue about the meaning and expression of being and not-being!
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Kirik0h
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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“Sophist” provides a deeper understanding of what constitutes sophistry and how it differs from genuine philosophy. For anyone interested in philosophy, it can provide foundational knowledge, improve critical thinking skills, and offer relevance to modern intellectual discussions.
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Corrugo
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Unity: Sophists are “imitative dialecticians” who use this imitation to make money and corrupt the youth. Whereas philosophers use dialectic in service of being, sophists “feel around in the darkness” and generally hide behind problems of “non-being.”

3 Prompts:
1. What the heck is a sophist?
2. Why is the definition so hard to come by? The sophist is a master imitator, who hides behind notions of non-being, giving seemingly reasonable arguments that are ultimately nihilistic.
3. By what method can we ensnare the sophist? By an analytic dialectical method, which seems to rely in its greatest part on transcendental categories [which, e.g., even Heraclitus must assume]

2 Implications:
1. How come Socrates stays silent? Maybe Socrates was not so Eleatic as this. Here Plato seems to
2. Why is Socrates present?
3. If non-being “is” in a certain way [albeit not simpliciter]; in what way “IS” non being? A. Says non-being is SOMETHING?

Rating: 5/5
As usual for Plato, this is a work of sustained brilliance, which satisfactorily solves one of the most pernicious problems of philosophy: "what is nothing?" This is not the Platonic dialogue to be read first -- it requires too much background. But is certainly to be read if you want a salve against nihilism!
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PremedGrinder
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Detta är en av de böcker som jag uppriktigt inte förstår.

Så vitt jag kan bena ut det, är det en kombination av reducto ad absurdum av idén om formella - funktionsgrundade i motsats till betydelsebärande - definitioner, i kombination med ett hån av idén om ädla lögner (son dock Platon själv accepterar senare - hur hänger det ihop?).

En konkurrent till Sokrates görs till talesperson för dessa dumheter.

Fula trick i kombination med fula idéer med andra ord.
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Suggest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Chato demais. Mas tal qual o Parmênides, vale pelo modo de raciocinar
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Yadava98
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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One of the less accessible of Plato's works. Tedious at times but it is a great example of his 'dialectical' method.
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