Literally, the term ‘Sophistry’ means the use of clever but false argument, especially with the intention of deceiving. This broadly includes oratory and practical application of rhetoric. Ancient history provides numerous evidence about how people back then employed rhetoric in order to achieve their goal. Amusingly, present times also provide examples of people deceiving the mob by the skill of oratory for their sakes.

Sophism is an early Pre–Socratic school of ancient Greek philosophy. It is the name often given to the so-called Seven Sages of 7th-6th century B.C., but also to many other early philosophers who were more concerned with Man himself and how he should behave than the big questions about the Universe. Rather than a well-defined school or movement, however, it is more of a loose grouping of like-minded individuals.

The term “Sophism” comes from Greek words like “Sophos” or “Sophia” meaning “wise” or “wisdom” and originally referred to any expertise in a specific domain of knowledge or craft. The word came to describe general wisdom and, especially, wisdom about human affairs. Over time, it came to denote a class of itinerant intellectuals who taught courses in ‘excellence’ or ‘virtue’, often charging high fees for it. Sophists speculated about the nature of language and employed rhetoric to achieve their purposes. They held relativistic views on cognition and knowledge that there is no Absolute truth and two views can be accepted at the same time. Their philosophy often contains criticisms of religion, law, truth and morality.

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Sophists had a considerable influence and were generally itinerant teachers who accepted fee in return for instruction in oratory and rhetoric and taught their applications towards a civic and political life. They were also the world’s first lawyers, making full use of their highly developed argumentation skills, and hence, played a vital role in Athenian democracy by their liberal and pluralistic acceptance of viewpoints. They used to question the existence of traditional deities conveying a message of resentment among the populace.

They were accused of perverting the truth and putting forward any implausible and unexplainable argument in order to prove their point right. Later in time, Sophists were considered only as rhetoric or popular public speakers who make confusing and illogical statements to deceive others for its own sake, empty of any content worth addressing. Their questioning over deities and persuading people to be selfish and self-centred which in turn became an ornery obstacle for the State and the citizens as well. Hence, they started to suffer persecutions, threats and even assassinations.

Now in the 21st century, we are surrounded by ‘new age’ sophists. What they essentially do now is grab the nerve of people whom they know can provide them with huge monetary as well as social benefits. The forerunners are our politicians. They come upon the mics and make sensational and controversial statements about their opposition party. This not just conceives their audience about their truthfulness but make up a negative image of their opposition. They make full use of their ‘art’ of oratory. They make use of words in such a way that they provoke the other person to react aggressively and kinetically. A person provoked hardly remains in control of his conscience that he involuntarily pass out a statement which later in time, is used against that person.

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As a matter of fact, this game of allegations can go the other way around. Sometimes, the speaker’s credibility for his speech is brutally scrutinized and held on the account of being irrational and childish. Unlike the Sophists in ancient Greece, our politicians hardly indulge themselves with the thought of spreading a positive message across the nation. They do not find themselves accountable for perverting the truth and creating a dilemma for the public. Another basic difference between the late Sophists and today’s orators is that the former did not script their speeches before their speaking sessions whereas the latter gets the speech already articulated and they are left with the job to strongly put their standpoint forward with a great throw.

With no left option, the mob finds itself to dragged towards the eloquence of their leader. Their flattering may be pervasive on the personal level but they cannot help their nature. Human brain examines the message received in a well-compartmentalised manner. And it is really affected by the pitch and speech throw of a person. Politicians nowadays, emphasize on vocal strength rather than some real content in what they are saying. They exactly know how to pitch to mean their needful. They emphasize on the objectivity of the truth and which intelligently target the audience they are chasing. The second party which is the receiver i.e. public finds it indeed impossible to contradict and thus digests what they think, is one of their concerns.

In earlier times, the Sophists, when seen as a threat to the state were persecuted, tried, threatened and lawfully assassinated. They suffered all these because they were charged for propagating illicit learning that led the youth and officials astray. They were considered deceitful and paradoxical which generated a sense of anger and discontentment for them in the Athenian society. Their illustration-

“Man is the measure of all things”, clearly shows their disposition about the refutation of immense idealisation of deities.

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But in present times, we live in a world that has cuffed people from committing lawful assassinations and propounds freedom of speech for everyone regardless of what they actually mean by their speeches. Politicians overtly play the game of accusations among different parties labelling it as the freedom. In the Republican sake, they insult each other and still holler around about their so-called dignified use of language even if it is a cuss word in disguise. People of different republicans all around the world need to activate their critical faculties and take full use of them to subdue the effect of “good-mouth” strategy that is only meant to distract them from the subjects of real value. It is important for them to understand as to why extensive oratory defies their demands without giving any hint of mischief to them.