Protagoras of Abdera was a Greek philosopher of the fifth century BC, born around 490 BC and dying around 420 BC, generally regarded as the first and most famous of the Sophists, itinerant teachers who instructed students, for a fee, in rhetoric and the skills of public and political life. He is best remembered for the maxim that man is the measure of all things, of the things that are, that they are, and of the things that are not, that they are not, a statement of relativism holding that truth and value are not fixed by nature but relative to the perceiving individual or community. Protagoras reportedly held agnostic views about the existence of the gods, for which ancient sources say he was prosecuted at Athens, and he is credited with developing early techniques of rhetorical argument and with a lasting influence on later relativist and pragmatist thought despite the survival of almost none of his own writing.
Facts
Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account Defining MomentSourced to the subject's own accountHis declaration that man is the measure of all things 1 Notable PublicationSourced to the subject's own accountTruth (also called On Truth or The Throws), opening with his man-is-the-measure pronouncement 1 Death YearSourced to the subject's own accountHis exact death date is not recorded; circa 420 BC is inferred from the Meno's account of his age. BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own account TraditionSourced to the subject's own accountSophism; credited by Plato with inventing the role of the professional sophist 1 Classification
NationalitySourced to the subject's own account Connections
Traditions Founded
Protagoras is standardly identified as the first and paradigmatic figure of Sophism, matching this atlas's own convention of naming a movement's leading early figure as founder (compare the live Existentialism -> Sartre/de Beauvoir rows).
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Greece, originated there.
Sources
1. Protagoras (Wikipedia)
WikipediaBiography section, opening sentence (birth)
Protagoras was born in Abdera, Thrace, opposite the island of Thasos, around 490 BC.
Biography section, on his death
His death, then, may be presumed to have occurred circa 420 BC, but is not known for certain
Biography section, opening sentence (place)
Protagoras was born in Abdera, Thrace, opposite the island of Thasos, around 490 BC.
Lead section, on sophistry
He is numbered as one of the sophists by Plato. In his dialogue Protagoras, Plato credits him with inventing the role of the professional sophist.
Spectrum of topics section, on Truth
The latter is cited by Plato, and was known alternatively as, The Throws (a wrestling term referring to the attempt to floor an opponent).
Lead section, the measure doctrine
Of all things the measure is Man, of the things that are, that they are, and of the things that are not, that they are not
Lead section, nationality sentence
Protagoras ( proh-TAG-ər-əs, -ass; Greek: Πρωταγόρας; c. 490 BC, c. 420 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and rhetorical theorist.
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