Philosophy Atlas Locate in atlas →

Thinker · 490 BCE–420 BCE

Protagoras

Protagoras connected civic education and rhetorical argument with the claim that human measures, practices, and judgments shape what counts as true or useful.

Intellectual setting

As an itinerant teacher in democratic Greek cities, Protagoras became a major target in Plato's portrayal of sophistic education.

Key ideas

Human measure

The famous measure saying generated rival readings about perception, truth, relativism, and practical judgment.

Antilogic argument

Training in opposed arguments made public disagreement an object of skill and reflection rather than simply an obstacle.

Legacy

He remains a focal point for debates about relativism, rhetoric, civic education, and the historical category of the Sophist.