Protagoras and Logos: A Study in Greek Philosophy and Rhetoric (Studies in Rhetoric/Communication) [Hardcover]

Edward Schiappa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1991 | Series: Studies in Rhetoric/Communication

Protagoras and Logos brings together in a meaningful synthesis the contributions and rhetoric of the first and most famous of the Older Sophists, Protagoras of Abdera. Most accounts of Protagoras rely on the somewhat hostile reports of Plato and Aristotle. By focusing on Protagoras’s own surviving words, this study corrects many long-standing misinterpretations and presents significant facts: Protagoras was a first-rate philosophical thinker who positively influenced the theories of Plato and Aristotle, and Protagoras pioneered the study of language and was the first theorist of rhetoric. In addition to illustrating valuable methods of translating and reading fifth-century B.C.E. Greek passages, the book marshals evidence for the important philological conclusion that the Greek word translated as rhetoric was a coinage by Plato in the early fourth century.

In this second edition, Edward Schiappa reassesses the philosophical and pedagogical contributions of Protagoras. Schiappa argues that traditional accounts of Protagoras are hampered by mistaken assumptions about the Sophists and the teaching of the art of rhetoric in the fifth century. He shows that, contrary to tradition, the so-called Older Sophists investigated and taught the skills of logos, which is closer to modern conceptions of critical reasoning than of persuasive oratory. Schiappa also offers interpretations for each of Protagoras’s major surviving fragments and examines Protagoras’s contributions to the theory and practice of Greek education, politics, and philosophy. In a new afterword Schiappa addresses historiographical issues that have occupied scholars in rhetorical studies over the past ten years, and throughout the study he provides references to scholarship from the last decade that has refined his views on Protagoras and other Sophists.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Edward Schiappa’s cogent and eloquent book fully deserves the praise it has received." -- Rhetoric Society Quarterly --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Praise for Protagoras and Logos:

"We know much more about Protagoras than we once imagined because of Edward Schiappa’s insightful scholarship, and just as importantly, we have been forced to address and assess our own scholarly assumptions in a way that can only improve both the questions we ask and the answers we ultimately discover."—Rhetorica

"An important contribution to the ongoing work of revising earlier views about the Sophistic movement. . .it ought to encourage more work on Protagoras and the other Sophists as individual teachers and thinkers."—Ancient Philosophy --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Pr (August 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872497585
• ISBN-13: 978-0872497580
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,987,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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