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sophistmore about sophist

sophist


  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Sophist  \Soph"ist\,  n.  [F.  sophiste,  L.  sophistes,  fr  Gr  ?. 
  See  {Sophism}.] 
  1.  One  of  a  class  of  men  who  taught  eloquence,  philosophy, 
  and  politics  in  ancient  Greece;  especially,  one  of  those 
  who  by  their  fallacious  but  plausible  reasoning,  puzzled 
  inquirers  after  truth,  weakened  the  faith  of  the  people, 
  and  drew  upon  themselves  general  hatred  and  contempt. 
 
  Many  of  the  Sophists  doubdtless  card  not  for  truth 
  or  morality,  and  merely  professed  to  teach  how  to 
  make  the  worse  appear  the  better  reason;  but  there 
  scems  no  reason  to  hold  that  they  were  a  special 
  class,  teaching  special  opinions;  even  Socrates  and 
  Plato  were  sometimes  styled  Sophists.  --Liddell  & 
  Scott. 
 
  2.  Hence  an  impostor  in  argument;  a  captious  or  fallacious 
  reasoner. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  sophist 
  n  :  someone  whose  reasoning  is  subtle  and  often  specious  [syn:  {casuist}] 




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