Antiphon the Sophist c. 480 BC – c. 410 BC
Antiphon the Sophist (c. 480 BC – c. 410 BC) was a Greek philosopher of the Ancient era, associated with Sophism and Ancient Greek Philosophy.
Antiphon the Sophist was an Athenian sophist and intellectual of the late fifth century BC, traditionally distinguished by modern scholars from his contemporary, the orator Antiphon of Rhamnus. The papyrus fragments of his On Truth, recovered from the sands of Egypt, offer one of the earliest sustained reflections in any tradition on the contrast between law and nature, in which legal obligations are described as the agreements of human beings while the laws of nature compel by necessity. His political consequences, including the radical conclusion that under the law of nature all human beings, Greek and barbarian alike, share a common humanity, anticipate later Hellenistic and Stoic universalism.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Greek
- Era
- Ancient
- Movements
- Sophism, Ancient Greek Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Antiphon the Sophist:
“Justice is not breaking the rules of one's own city, when other people are watching.”
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Attributed to Antiphon the Sophist:
“By nature we are all alike, Greek and barbarian: we breathe the same air through the mouth and through the nostrils.”
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Attributed to Antiphon the Sophist:
“Law is the agreement of human beings; nature compels by necessity.”
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Attributed to Antiphon the Sophist:
“What men have established by convention they may dissolve by convention; what nature has set down does not yield to convention at all.”
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Attributed to Antiphon the Sophist:
“He who fears the laws and is without witnesses of his actions is the law-abiding man.”
Frequently asked about Antiphon the Sophist
- When did Antiphon the Sophist live?
- Antiphon the Sophist was born in c. 480 BC and died in c. 410 BC.
- Where was Antiphon the Sophist from?
- Antiphon the Sophist was a Greek philosopher of the Ancient era.
- What philosophical movements is Antiphon the Sophist associated with?
- Antiphon the Sophist was associated with Sophism and Ancient Greek Philosophy.
- What was Antiphon the Sophist known for?
- Antiphon the Sophist was an Athenian sophist and intellectual of the late fifth century BC, traditionally distinguished by modern scholars from his contemporary, the orator Antiphon of Rhamnus.
- How many quotes are attributed to Antiphon the Sophist?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Antiphon the Sophist in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.