Protagoras

The presocratic philosopher Protagoras of Abdera (490–420 BC), founder of the sophistic movement, was famously agnostic towards the existence and nature of the gods, and was the proponent of the doctrine that 'man is the measure of all things'. Still relevant to contemporary society, Protagoras is in many ways a precursor of the postmodern movement. In the brief fragments that survive, he lays the foundation for relativism, agnosticism, the significance of rhetoric, a pedagogy for critical thinking and a conception of the human being as a social construction.

This accessible introductory survey by Daniel Silvermintz covers Protagoras' life, ideas and lasting legacy. Each chapter interprets one of the surviving fragments and draws connections with related ideas forwarded by other sophists, showing its relevance to an area of knowledge: epistemology, ethics, education and sociology.

The most interesting idea proposed by S[ilvermintz] is that Pericles' political volte-face, as he has it, in 462 BC can be laid at Protagoras' door ... an attractive thesis, supported by a fair and reasoned description of the development of democracy in Athens ... I enjoyed this book. (Classics For All Reviews 2015-11-23)

In this short, elegant, and readable work, Daniel Silvermintz brings alive one of the most elusive and enigmatic thinkers of the ancient world. (Steven B. Smith, Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science, Yale University, USA)