L15.Against the Sophists
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Transcript of L15.Against the Sophists
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Against the Sophists
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Against the Sophists is among the few Isocratic speeches that have survived from
Ancient Greece. This polemical text was Isocrates attempt to define Isocrates’
educational doctrine and to separate himself from the multitudes of other teachers of
rhetoric. Isocrates was a sophist, an identity which carried the same level of negative
connotation as it does now. Many of the sophistic educators were characterized as
deceitful because they were more concerned with making a profit from teaching
persuasive trickery than of producing quality orators that would promote Athenian
democracy. Isocrates was more concerned with the latter of these objectives and sought
to separate himself from these less reputable sophistic teachers. After opening his
school around 393 or 392 BCE, Isocrates wrote Against the Sophists to clearly
distinguish his teaching methods from the commonly held view of sophisticeducation.[1]
General AnalysisIsocrates' Criticism of the SophistsIsocrates begins his speech by defining the typical characteristics of most sophist
teachers. He makes seven clear accusations about what is wrong with their instructional
methods. The first accusation is that sophists make big promises that they cannot fulfill,
especially relating to having the ability to teach virtue and justice. The inconsistency
between what the sophists claim to teach and their actual ability is Isocrates’ second
point. They claim to teach qualities they do not possess themselves, namely truth,
happiness and justice. His third accusation expands this point by demonstrating that
despite claiming to teach such invaluable virtues and the wonderful art of oratory,
sophists only charge minute prices for the instruction (three or four minae). In Isocrates’
fourth charge he establishes that if these teachers were actually capable of teaching
virtue and justice, then they would have no issue trusting their students. Yet they insist
on receiving advanced payment for their services, which clearly demonstrates their lack
of genuine confidence either in their students or in their own teaching abilities.
Isocrates’ fifth accusation connects the sophist’s inability to teach oratory correctly and
their lack of rhetorical knowledge. He asserts that these sophists do not have enough
respect for the art of discourse to actually spend the time studying it thoroughly, and because they lack solid understanding of the art, they teach it incorrectly. Isocrates’
sixth claim condemns the techné pushed by these teachers and states that “they are
applying the analogy of an art with hard and fast rules to a creative process” (sec. 12).[2]
Isocrates explains how much easier it is to teach a man a few universal rules and
rhetorical tricks rather than teaching him to apply the true basis of speech -- timeliness
(kairos), appropriateness (to prepon), and originality.[3] To justify the importance of
distinguishing himself from other sophists, Isocrates’ final accusation proclaims “that
the bad repute which results therefrom does not affect the offenders only, but that all the
rest of us who are in the same profession share in the opprobrium” (sec. 11). In other
words, through their mediocre and deceitful practices, these sophists give a bad
reputation to all teachers of oratory.
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Isocrates' Teaching PrinciplesDespite his intention for Against the Sophists to be written as an outline of his own
pedagogical principles, Isocrates only briefly mentions his own style and thought of
proper discourse before digressing to other criticisms of the current state of sophistry.
There are separate but relatively rare occasions where Isocrates lists his own positive
exposition of his philosophy.
In arguing against the rigid form which some sophists apply to the art of oration,
Isocrates states that, “oratory is only good if it has the qualities of fitness for the
occasion, propriety of style, and originality of treatment...” (sec. 13). He says of his ownschool of oratorical thought that, as opposed to teaching a rigid form, a proper teacher
will instill in his students the ability to speak with fluidity and to improvise in order to
speak appropriately for the occasion.
After previously criticizing other teachers for overlooking the importance of the
innate ability of their students, Isocrates outlines the conditions necessary for a student
to become a good orator. Isocrates says, “the student must not only have the requisite
aptitude but he must learn the different kinds of discourse and practise himself in their use” (sec. 17). He goes on to say of the teacher that he, “...must so expound the
principles of the art with the utmost possible exactness as to leave out nothing that can
be taught” (sec. 17). Isocrates saw these three elements not only as necessary for being a
good orator but also for becoming a valuable citizen. He valued the student's
contribution, his aptitude and practice, far more than he did the teacher's. However
Isocrates believed that a proficient teacher could instill some level of talent.[4]
Conclusion Against the Sophists ends with Isocrates’ claim that while he cannot teach ethics and
create virtuous character (arête), the study of discourse has the nearest potential todevelop this capacity in its students. While this is not a particularly conclusive ending to
the speech, Isocrates did go on to write the Antidosis in 353 BC, which is a significantly
longer speech that expands Isocrates’ thoughts on discourse and its instruction.
CriticismConnections between Against the Sophists and Plato's Gorgias Among many other reasons, scholars have placed Against the Sophists as being written
in 393 BCE because of its relation to Plato's dialogue, Gorgias. It is assumed that when
there are similarities in language found in the two works, Plato is responding to
Isocrates.[5]
Yun Lee Too highlights specific examples.When talking about the use of third parties by sophists to handle payment because they
do not trust their pupils, Isocrates says, “But men who inculcate virtue and sobriety -is it
not absurd if they do not trust in their own students before all others?” (sec. 6). A
similarity to this can be found in Plato's Gorgias. While also talking about the mistrust
by sophists concerning payment, Socrates says to Callicles, “people who've become
good and just, whose injustice has been removed by their teacher and who have come to
possess justice should wrong him-something they can't do? Don't you think that's absurd
my friend?” (519d).[6] It seems that Plato is echoing Against the Sophists by, “criticising
them for demanding deposits against their fees since this undermines their promise to
make their students just.”[5]
Another similarity in language is found in both Plato's and Isocrates' discussions of thestate of the mind or soul necessary for a good orator. Isocrates says of qualities of being
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a good orator, “”these things, I hold, require much study and are the task of a vigorous
and imaginative mind” (sec. 17). Yun Lee Too says that this is what is called Isocrates
“doxastic soul” or the soul with an aptitude for determining “doxa”, or the common
opinion.[5] Plato uses comparable language when he writes Socrates as saying, “I think
there's a practice...that a mind given to making hunches takes to, a mind that's bold and
naturally clever at dealing with people” (463a). Yun Lee Too posits that Plato evolvedIsocrates' “doxastic soul” into Plato's own “stochastic soul”, or one with a shrewd
ability for guess-work .[5]
Notes1. ^ Kennedy (1999)
2. ^ Isocrates (2000). p. 171 sec. 12.
3. ^ Too (1995)
4. ^ Bizzell(1990). p. 52.
5. ^ a b c d Too(1995). p. 153
6. ^ Plato (1987). p. 103 sec. 519d.
References Bizzell, Patricia, and Bruce Herzberg. The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from
Classical times to the Present . Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 1990
Isocrates. Isocrates Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2000
Plato. Gorgias Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1987
Too, Yun Lee. The Rhetoric of Identity in Isocrates: Text, Power, Pedagogy.
Cambridge [England]: Cambridge UP, 1995