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A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 3, The Fifth Century Enlightenment, Part 1, The Sophists

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This is a great way to have Professor Guthrie's Magnus Opus available to the public. More specifically, it allows me as a teacher of the philosophy of education to introduce future teachers to the truth relative to this very interesting and defamed group of ancient teachers. The text starts with a definition of what the word Sophist means etymologically, then works through an explanation of the professional status of the sophists and their methods ending the definitional construct with the historic fate of the movement at the hands of Plato and Aristotle.

Professor Guthrie then begins to discuss the history and particulars of the major concepts of the sophists, explaining first Nomos and then Physis and the men within the sophistical movement that represented these concepts. The focus is on the explication of the differences between the concepts as well as their similarities through a view of the major figures of the movement starting with Protagoras.

Guthrie then enters the perspective of the realists Thucydides, Glaucon etc. and begins a more in-depth look at the Physis through discussions on Callicles and Antiphon, to name but a few. Guthrie continues the work by looking at the idea of the social compact vis-a-vis identity and equality issues, a focus that was way ahead of its time in regards to these particular types of works on the history of philosophy and ideology.

He then turns to a discussion of the relativity of values and its effect on ethical theory, rhetoric, and philosophical concepts. He continues the discourse on the subject through a look at rationalism in religious theories such as agnosticism and atheism and devotes an entire chapter (X to be specific in this text) to the question, "Can Virtue be Taught?"

The rest of the book,focuses on the men themselves from Protagoras to Lycophron and ends with some of the anonymous writes of the movement.

A focused bibliography and some great indexes finish the tome.

Like all his other books on Philosophy and Intellectual History the work is phenomenal, comprehensive, unique, and clear. A must READ! for anyone attempting to understand the subject.

G.D. Albear, Ph.D.