Protagoras and Logos: A Study in Greek Philosophy and Rhetoric

Studies in Rhetoric & Communication

by Edward Schiappa

Reassesses the philosophical and pedagogical contributions of Protagoras

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 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.

Genres: Philosophy

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1991

About the author

Anthony Edward Schiappa, Jr. is an American scholar of communication and rhetoric, currently Professor of Comparative Media Studies/Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he holds the John E. Burchard Chair of Humanities; from 2013 to 2019, he also served as the program's Head. Previously, he spent seventeen years in the Communication Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, the last seven of which he served as chair. He is the author of eight books and numerous articles that have appeared in classics, communication, English/Composition, philosophy, psychology, and law journals.

Reviews

[Daniel Schotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very few books about the man Protagoras and the development of rhetoric and not about Plato's Protagoras.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

7'5/10
El profe de Persuasión y Conflicto que tan maravilloso es, le adoro (un abrazo tito F.), me recomendó este libro diciendo que lo habia leído y que por alguna razón pensaba que a mi me gustaría.
No se por qué pensaría eso de un libro sobre filosofía presocrática bastante densa y académica, pero oye, no me ha disgustado. Ha cambiado totalmente mi percepción sobre los sofistas, Platón y Aristóteles. Al club de debate de la uni lo sigo odiando por ser mal sofismo y servir a la mala interpretación del texto de los "dos logoi".
En conclusión, y aunque solo añado ideas y no hago referencia a lo anterior, no sabía nada ni de Protágoras ni del logos y ahora sé cosas de Protágoras y del logos. Y el libro se llama Protágoras y el logos. Así que no miente.