Abstract

In the fifth century B.C. professional educators, or sophists, travelled the Greek world claiming to teach success in public and private life. In this dialogue Plato shows the pretensions of the leading sophist, Protagoras, challenged by the critical arguments of Socrates. The dialogue combines subtlety of argument with intricacy of dramatic construction and brilliant characterization. This translation achieves both precision and colloquial naturalness, while the Notes and Introduction set the arguments in their historical and philosophical context.