Entertainers, Persuaders, Adversaries
Interactions of Sophists and Rulers in Philostratus’ Lives of Sophists
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20078128 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katarzyna Jazdzewska (0000-0003-4216-978X, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Pages | 160-177 |
| Publication date | 2018-07-17 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Intellectual and Empire in Greco-Roman Antiquity (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.4324/9781315146393-9 |
| OpenAlex | W2913963237 |
| ISBN | 9781315146393 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 1 |
The contribution examines the dynamics of interactions between sophists and rulers in Philostratus’ Lives of Sophists, and argues that such encounters have a dynamic markedly different from depictions of meetings between wise men or philosophers and rulers. The paper is organized around three categories of sophist-ruler interactions: first, where a sophist acts as an entertainer and provider of pleasurable pastime for a ruler; second, where a sophist is a persuader of and, more rarely, an adviser to a ruler; and third, where a sophist becomes an adversary of a ruler or gets into a confrontation with him. For Philostratus, the first two categories represent sophists’ important social roles and are associated with two ways a sophist can exert influence on a ruler: by delighting him and by persuading him. Although Philostratus' sophists occasionally display disdain for political power and emphasize their independence – and sometimes even become adversaries of rulers and get involved in confrontations with them – fearless frankness is not perceived by Philostratus as behaviour typical or commendable to a sophist
Epistemology · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2023 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |