Protagoras was a Pre-Socratic philosopher who followed the beliefs of the Sophists, a group of naturalist intellectuals who believed in the concept of relativity. Relativity is the belief that, “the truth about something depends on what person or cultures believe” (Vaughn 46). This concept has sparked numerous accounts of debate, most notably by the philosopher Pluto, and continues to be a topic of debate in today’s society. However, Protagoras’s views of relativity and his belief that “Man is the measure of all things, of existing things that they exist, and of nonexisting things that they do not exist” is self-refuting, and therefore false (Vaughn 46).
The Sophists, including Protagoras, were professors who would educate the people of Athens …show more content…
I believe that while there are varying perceptions of truth, there is one underlying truth that cannot be swayed by people’s experiences, beliefs, or cultures. Also, if Protagoras’ theory was true, then everyone in society would be ‘correct’, and would never be mistaken; this implies personal infallibility. An example of this would be Hitler’s massacre of millions of Jews. According to subjective relativism, the notion that truth depends on an individual, Hitler’s massacre would have been justified and deemed “morally correct” merely because he believed that he was doing what was right (Vaughn 46). However, our society can agree that the mass slaughtering of millions of people is morally corrupt. Subjective relativism can also be related to moral relativism and states that “the moral views of any individual are as good or as true as those of any other” (Vaughn 47). That means that any person who believes that Hitler’s actions were justified, would be no better or worse than someone who opposed them. Also, cultural relativism states that the perception of truth is dependent on what the culture believes, if this was true, then all of our societies throughout history would never have been wrong, “…about the causes of diseases, the best form of government, the owning of slaves, the burning of witches” (Vaughn 47). Also, if everyone was correct all the time, then no one would learn from past experiences and our educational flow would most likely come to a halt, Socrates said, “If Protagoras is right, and truth is that things are as they appear to anyone, how can some of us be wise and some of us foolish?” (Vaughn 47). While I believe that people’s perceptions of truth can vary based on their experiences, culture, knowledge, etc. I do not believe that the actual truth varies from person to person, otherwise we would never
The Sophists, including Protagoras, were professors who would educate the people of Athens …show more content…
I believe that while there are varying perceptions of truth, there is one underlying truth that cannot be swayed by people’s experiences, beliefs, or cultures. Also, if Protagoras’ theory was true, then everyone in society would be ‘correct’, and would never be mistaken; this implies personal infallibility. An example of this would be Hitler’s massacre of millions of Jews. According to subjective relativism, the notion that truth depends on an individual, Hitler’s massacre would have been justified and deemed “morally correct” merely because he believed that he was doing what was right (Vaughn 46). However, our society can agree that the mass slaughtering of millions of people is morally corrupt. Subjective relativism can also be related to moral relativism and states that “the moral views of any individual are as good or as true as those of any other” (Vaughn 47). That means that any person who believes that Hitler’s actions were justified, would be no better or worse than someone who opposed them. Also, cultural relativism states that the perception of truth is dependent on what the culture believes, if this was true, then all of our societies throughout history would never have been wrong, “…about the causes of diseases, the best form of government, the owning of slaves, the burning of witches” (Vaughn 47). Also, if everyone was correct all the time, then no one would learn from past experiences and our educational flow would most likely come to a halt, Socrates said, “If Protagoras is right, and truth is that things are as they appear to anyone, how can some of us be wise and some of us foolish?” (Vaughn 47). While I believe that people’s perceptions of truth can vary based on their experiences, culture, knowledge, etc. I do not believe that the actual truth varies from person to person, otherwise we would never