Of Dogs and Wolves, Fathers and Sons, Sophists and Philosophers

By analyzing the first six definitions, this paper argues that in the Sophist it is not easy to distinguish between the philosopher and the sophist. The difficulty is especially clear in the sixth definition, which clearly associates Socrates the philosopher with the sophists not only in terms of methods but also in terms of practices. Socratic elenchos and sophistical antilogic turn out to be much closer than expected; in addition, the evidence of Aristophanes’ Clouds shows that Socrates and the sophists also share the same pedagogical methods. This parallel will also serve to clarify what is at stake in Parmenides’ parricide and will shed further light on the relation between Socratic Socrates’ elenchos and Plato’s dialectical methods.