Everything You've ever wanted to know about Rhetoric (October, 2013) | Page 4

THE SOPHISTS!

What does Sophist mean? This is a question that you may be asking your self. It's my job to tell you. A Sophist is someone who believes in skepticism. What is Skepticism you may ask. Well its something that people don't believe that anything is true. The Sophists seemed to percieve to see the truth as being relevant and being tolerant. In other words, they believed in a non existant absolute truth. That the truth is subjectvie, contextual and contingent. They believe that the purpose of rhetoric is to create the best illusion and to find which truth is most persuasive to you. I know it's confusing right? I felt the same way when I first started learning about Rhetoric. The Sophists believed in dissoi logoi, which creates a different reality and when arguing claims it is the most credible to you.Kairos is another term that you should know about the Sophists, too. (I know a lot of new terms presented in a little amount of space.) Kairos is the ideal timing in reference to when is it the best time to use rhetoric. That brings us to Kronos, they measure time. The Sophists seem to think that there is no absolute truth. What do you think? They were for democracy.