Position Paper
“HE IS THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS, OF ALL THINGS THAT ARE THAT THEY ARE, AND OF THINGS THAT ARE NOT THAT THEY ARE NOT...”
By: Protagoras
INTRODUCTION
Protagoras of Abdera was one of several fifth century Greek thinkers collectively known as the Older Sophists, a group of travelling teachers or intellectuals who were experts in rhetoric (the science of oratory) and related subjects. His famous saying is: “Man is the measure of all things: of things which are, that they are, and of things which are not, that they are not.” He believes that everything in this earth or the reason for all the things that has made is all because of man for man is the absolute criterion of truth.
Do you think that man is really the measure of all things? That human is the centre of the earth? Well, I can say that his thoughts about man were wrong! The position taken in this paper is that Protagoras’ philosophical thesis on human nature is not true. In particular, I will argue that man is not the measure of all things or the reason for everything. The purpose of this paper is to explain the sense of man’s existence, and to have a clear understanding that God alone is the measure of all things.
The main parts of this paper are as follows:
First for explication, this is to strain Protagoras philosophy that cues him to conclude that, “man is the measure of all things” because what he meant by his doctrine, as applied to our sense experiences, for example, if honey seems sweet to some people but bitter to others then it is sweet to the former and is bitter to the latter. There cannot be therefore be any objective knowledge or truth concerning what things is ‘really’ like, which is knowledge which is the same for everybody and opens to all. All qualities are attributable to convention and not to ‘nature’.
For counter argument; this includes my argument and reasons for those doubts, withstanding Protagoras idea that “Man is the measure of all things”, are the following
By: Protagoras
INTRODUCTION
Protagoras of Abdera was one of several fifth century Greek thinkers collectively known as the Older Sophists, a group of travelling teachers or intellectuals who were experts in rhetoric (the science of oratory) and related subjects. His famous saying is: “Man is the measure of all things: of things which are, that they are, and of things which are not, that they are not.” He believes that everything in this earth or the reason for all the things that has made is all because of man for man is the absolute criterion of truth.
Do you think that man is really the measure of all things? That human is the centre of the earth? Well, I can say that his thoughts about man were wrong! The position taken in this paper is that Protagoras’ philosophical thesis on human nature is not true. In particular, I will argue that man is not the measure of all things or the reason for everything. The purpose of this paper is to explain the sense of man’s existence, and to have a clear understanding that God alone is the measure of all things.
The main parts of this paper are as follows:
First for explication, this is to strain Protagoras philosophy that cues him to conclude that, “man is the measure of all things” because what he meant by his doctrine, as applied to our sense experiences, for example, if honey seems sweet to some people but bitter to others then it is sweet to the former and is bitter to the latter. There cannot be therefore be any objective knowledge or truth concerning what things is ‘really’ like, which is knowledge which is the same for everybody and opens to all. All qualities are attributable to convention and not to ‘nature’.
For counter argument; this includes my argument and reasons for those doubts, withstanding Protagoras idea that “Man is the measure of all things”, are the following