Protagoras facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Protagoras
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Democritus (center) and Protagoras (right)
17th-century painting by Salvator Rosa in Hermitage Museum |
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| Born | c. 490 BC |
| Died | c. 420 BC (aged c. 70) |
| Era | Pre-Socratic philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Sophistic movement |
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Main interests
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language, semantics, relativism, rhetoric, agnosticism, ethics |
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Notable ideas
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'Sophist' as teacher for hire, man–measure doctrine ('Man is the measure of all things') |
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Influences
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Influenced
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Protagoras (/prəʊˈtæɡəˌræs/; Greek: Πρωταγόρας; c. 490 BC – c. 420 BC) was an important Greek philosopher. He lived before Socrates and was known as a sophist. Sophists were teachers who traveled around and taught people, often for a fee.
Protagoras is famous for saying: "Man is the measure of all things." This idea caused a lot of discussion in ancient times. It means that each person's own experiences and beliefs shape what they think is true. For example, if you think something is good, and someone else thinks it's bad, Protagoras suggested both views could be "true" for each person.
This idea of individual truth was very new and made many other philosophers, like Plato, think deeply. Protagoras believed that respecting different opinions was important for a community. It helped people have open discussions and make decisions together.
Contents
Discovering Protagoras's Life
Protagoras was born in a place called Abdera, Thrace. This city was across from the island of Thasos.
A story says that when he was young, Protagoras worked as a carrier. One day, the famous philosopher Democritus saw him. Protagoras was carrying a load of wood tied together perfectly. Democritus was so impressed by his skill that he took Protagoras in and taught him philosophy.
Protagoras later became well-known in Athens. He even became friends with Pericles, a very important leader in Athens.
When Protagoras Lived
We don't have exact dates for Protagoras's birth and death. But we can guess from old writings.
In one of his books, Plato wrote that Protagoras said he was old enough to be the father of other philosophers like Socrates. This suggests he was born around 490 BC or earlier.
It's thought he died around 420 BC, when he was about 70 years old. He had been teaching as a sophist for about 40 years.
A Legal Question with Pericles
The writer Plutarch shared an interesting story about Protagoras and Pericles. They spent a whole day discussing a legal problem.
In an athletic contest, a man was accidentally killed by a javelin. Protagoras and Pericles debated: Who was responsible? Was it the javelin itself, the person who threw it, or the people in charge of the games? This shows how Protagoras liked to think about difficult questions.
Protagoras's Ideas on Philosophy
Protagoras was taught by Democritus, but he had different ideas about mathematics. He didn't think that perfect mathematical shapes, like perfectly straight lines, existed in the real world. He was skeptical about how useful theoretical math was for understanding nature.
However, Protagoras believed that "art without practice and practice without art are nothing." This means that skill and hard work go hand-in-hand.
Teaching Virtue and Public Life
Protagoras was also a teacher of virtue and how to live well in a city. A big question in ancient Greece was whether virtue could be taught.
Protagoras aimed to help people understand many human topics, including language and education. He claimed he could teach people "how best to run one's household" and "how to make the most effective contribution to the affairs of the city."
Understanding Language
Protagoras was interested in "orthoepeia," which means using words correctly. He would analyze poems to understand the exact meaning of words and what the author intended. This skill was very helpful for understanding laws and other important documents in Athens.
He also helped classify different ways we use speech, like asking questions, giving commands, or making statements. He even worked on understanding grammatical gender in words.
Teaching Rhetoric and Debate
Protagoras was a skilled teacher of rhetoric, which is the art of speaking or writing effectively. He taught people how to argue well. One of his books was even called Technique of Eristics, which means "Practice of Wranglings."
He was one of the first people to take part in public speaking contests at the Olympic Games.
Relativism: "Man is the Measure"
Protagoras is famous for his idea of relativism. This idea comes from his lost book called Truth.
His most famous statement, "Man is the measure of all things: of the things that are, that they are, of the things that are not, that they are not," is key to this idea.
What Relativism Means
It means that each person decides how things are perceived by them. So, something is true or not true based on how an individual sees it.
For example, imagine one person feels the weather is cold, but another person feels it's hot. According to Protagoras, there isn't one "absolute" temperature. The truth about the temperature is relative to each person's feeling. So, for the first person, it is cold, and for the second, it is hot.
This idea suggests there are no absolute "truths" that apply to everyone in the same way. Truth changes from person to person.
Different Views, Different Truths
Plato discussed Protagoras's relativism in his writings. Plato suggested that Protagoras believed if something appears true to an individual, then it is true for that individual.
However, Protagoras also thought that some views might be more helpful or useful than others. Even if all views are "true" for the person holding them, some views can lead to better outcomes. This is why Protagoras believed that a sophist could teach students how to choose the more useful or virtuous views.
Other philosophers, like Plato and Aristotle, argued against Protagoras's relativism. They wondered if Protagoras's own statement about truth being relative was also relative.
Agnosticism: Doubts About the Gods
Protagoras also wrote about the gods in a book called On the Gods. He famously wrote: "Concerning the gods, I have no means of knowing whether they exist or not, nor of what sort they may be, because of the obscurity of the subject, and the brevity of human life."
This statement shows that Protagoras was an agnostic. An agnostic is someone who believes that we cannot know for sure if gods exist or not.
Some ancient writers claimed that Protagoras's views on the gods made the people of Athens angry. They said he was expelled from the city and his books were burned. However, some historians doubt this story because other writers from Protagoras's time don't mention it. Even if some books were burned, many copies survived and were discussed later.
Other Works by Protagoras
While only a few parts of Protagoras's writings have survived, we know he wrote several books. His book Truth started with his famous "Man is the measure" statement.
Other books he wrote included:
- On the Gods
- Art of Eristics (about arguing)
- On Ambition
- On Virtues
These titles show that Protagoras thought about many different topics, from how we know things to how we should live.
See also
In Spanish: Protágoras para niños
- Anthropocentrism
- Paradox of the Court
