Sophism

Sophism can mean two very different things. In Ancient Greece, sophism was practiced by sophists, who were a group of teachers of rhetoric. In modern usage, a sophism is a confusing or slightly incorrect argument used for deceiving someone.

Etymology

The word sophism derived from the Greek word σόφισμα ("sophisma" from σοφίζω). A similar Greek word σοφιστής ("sophistēs") means "wise-ist, one who does wisdom, one who makes a business out of wisdom," while σοφός ("sophós") means a "wise man".

History

The ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras 
(c. 490 – 420 BC) is often said to be the first sophist. Others include Gorgias, Prodicus, Hippias, Thrasymachus, Lycophron, Callicles, Antiphon and Cratylus. Plato opposed those sophists as they abused wisdom for self-interest and refused truth or justice.

Modern usage

Nowadays, sophism, sophist and sophistry are derogatory words due to the influence of many philosophers in history. Sophism and Platonism were rival schools of thought. A sophism is a statement to deceive someone in a debate or conversation to make themselves look right when they are wrong. Sophism sometimes shows up as difficult words and complicated sentences to coerce the audience into agreeing with them. Ad hominem is an example of sophistry. A sophist is a person engaging in sophism. Sophistry means employing sophism for deceptive reasoning.   "Sophistry - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster",
   Merriam-webster.com, 2011, webpage:
   MWsoph.

References

Category:Philosophy