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Who were the Sophists in ancient Greece?

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Marble bust of Pythagoras, the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher, showing a bearded man with a head covering and calm expression. — History of ethics Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, portrait bust.

The Sophists were a group of itinerant teachers, lecturers, and writers in ancient Greece during the 5th and 4th centuries BCE who provided instruction in a wide range of subjects in exchange for fees. Rather than forming a single school, they were independent thinkers who made Athens the center of their activities, where they met the high demand for training in rhetoric and public speaking necessary for political success in the city's democracy.12

While often criticized by Plato and Aristotle as "eristic"—or focused on winning arguments rather than pursuing truth—modern scholars recognize their significant contributions to humanistic education. Their curriculum extended beyond oratory to include grammar, mathematics, physical sciences, and the study of morality.13

Though historically maligned as charlatans who weakened moral standards, there is no evidence that the Sophists were personally immoral or that their teachings induced corruption. Instead, their critical examination of traditional values and their focus on human society helped shift philosophical inquiry toward the subjective element of human experience.31