Old Greek Guys and Their Rhetoric

The Sophists were a group of Greek thinkers and speakers that history has associated together based on their shared ideas and values. They were basically public speaking rockstars who travelled around Greece and the surrounding area to address huge crowds and even participate in the Olympic sport of oration. At the core of their beliefs was the idea that there are no absolute truths in the world. This view, while it may seem rather pessimistic, comes from Pythagoras' idea that "man is the measure of all things" and asserts that we as humans must use our rhetoric to propose and debate probable truths that would improve our well-being and allow us to define our world.

The Sophists believed in what we now call social constructionism: the idea that things don't exist without language to give them meaning and provide humans with the ability and context to recognize them. Then, as the Sophists saw it, a person who was skilled at rhetoric could effectively shape reality. Many of the most famous Sophists used this power for what they perceived as good. These well-meaning Sophists believed in the practice of Dissoi Logoi which involved proposing and evaluating multiple viewpoints or probable truths in order to find the most valid one. Further more, they made use of kairos, a practice of finding and using the ideal moment, to make their oration as compelling and persuasive as possible.

While many of the Sophists used their poetically-styled persuasive speech-craft to promote their view of civic good, others used their rhetorical skills for self-promotion and personal gain. These few bad apples have effectively spoiled the bunch and given history a profoundly negative view of the Sophists to the point that their name has become synonymous with lying, swindling, and manipulating.

 

TL;DR

No absolute truths so we have to speak and argue in favor of the best manmade truth, because it's all we have and it becomes reality.