History: Sophists

A group of Greek teachers and scholars in the fifth century BCE who argued that attempts by humans to understand the universe were futile. Sophists believed that the universe was incomprehensible to the human mind, and that humans should strive to improve their personal characteristics such as strength, stamina, and intellect. Sophists stressed the importance of rhetoric, or argument, and often made a living as wandering scholars working as professional teachers. Sophists also characteristically believed in relativism, i.e., that no absolute values exist in society or culture, and each individual learns or adheres to their personal value system.