GREEK SOPHISTS

By mid-fifth century BC, Athens was governed by democratic rule and power turned upon the ability of the individual to command the attention of the other citizens, and to sway the crowds of the assembly. It was the Sophists who understood the art ofrhetoric and the importance of being able to transform effective reasoning into persuasive public speaking. Their inquiries - into the gods, the origins of religion, and whether virtue can be taught - laid the groundwork for the next generation of thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle.