Protagoras: The Man Who Measured Truth | PhilosophyStudent.org

This video uncovers his contributions to sophism, his famous assertion that "Man is the measure of all things," and his impact on ethics and education. Discover how Protagoras' thoughts on truth, virtue, and the divine shaped ancient Greek philosophy and continue to resonate today.

✅Biography of Protagoras

The subject of an eponymous Platonic dialogue, Protagoras was a Sophist whom Plato
credits as the originator of the role of the professional sophist (one who reasons with
complexly fallacious arguments). Plato also noted Protagoras’ most controversial and
(still) most widely quoted aphorism: “Man is the measure of all things.” This Plato
understood to mean that truth is not absolute but is that which people generally deem
as true.

This may well be the crux of Protagoras’ epistemology, which held that truth
was relative to the individual and not based on some objective “given” independent of
human perception and interpretation.

Born in Abdera, Thrace, Protagoras may have begun his working life as a porter. At
least, it was reported that the philosopher Democritus saw him carrying a load of wood
tied with cord. The skill with which Protagoras had tied the load together—seemingly
with geometric precision—led Democritus to remark that the man was a mathematical
genius. Accordingly, he took Protagoras into his household and tutored him in
philosophy.

Eventually, Protagoras became renowned in Athens and was befriended by
no less a figure than Pericles.

In point of fact, Protagoras cared little about mathematics and had only skepticism
about applying theoretical mathematics to the physical world. At best, he believed
mathematics was an art—with little practical purpose. He was far more interested in
ethics, virtue, and political life and debated over whether virtue could be taught. He
was interested in education generally and pragmatic education in particular, including
the teaching of how to properly manage one’s own affairs and household as well as how
to lead and manage public affairs.

Like his fellow Sophist Prodicus, Protagoras placed special emphasis on the correct
use of words and contemplated the gap between their literal meaning and the author’s
(or speaker’s) intention. He was interested in formulating a methodology for teaching
usage that could be applied to the creation and interpretation of laws and other written
documents in the Athenian courts.

According to Diogenes Laërtius, Protagoras ultimately compiled a taxonomy of speech acts, including assertion, command, question, answer, and so on. He was also a teacher of rhetoric and argumentation, who was among the first to compete in the rhetorical contests associated with the Olympic games.

His theory of argumentation was that, on any issue, there are two opposing logoi
(arguments), and this is associated with the philosophy of relativism, which he is often
credited with originating and for which Plato, in Protagoras, condemns him.

The date of the philosopher’s death is conjectural at about 420 BC, when he was
approximately seventy years old.

This video is about Protagoras: The Man Who Measured Truth. But It also covers the following topics:

Protagoras Greek Philosopher
Sophist Protagoras Biography
Man Is The Measure

✅ Stay Connected With Us.

=============================

✅ About Philosophy Student.

This channel has one goal: to help philosophy students learn about philosophical concepts and familiarize themselves with their history, terms, theories, and thoughts. Here, you will find videos on the history of philosophy, biographies of philosophical figures, and explanation videos on philosophical terms, concepts, and theories.

We also do videos on philosophy books and popular papers. A special emphasis is placed on helping you to learn how to be your very best at philosophy. How to write better papers, how to learn better, and how to get great grades in your philosophy courses. We hope you enjoy it, and look forward to your comments!

🔔 Master the art of philosophy with our comprehensive library of educational videos. Subscribe Now:

=================================

#protagoras #greekphilosophy #sophist #ancientgreece #philosophybiography #truthrelativism

© Philosophy Student