We find the Sophists interesting and want to continue our
discussion about them. Protagoras of Abdera (490-420 B.C.) wrote
many books including, The Art of Controversy, On Wrestling, On
What is in Hades, and On the Misdeeds of Men. He was a pupil of
Democritus, the atomist, and his father, a wealthy Thracian, was
a friend of the Persian King Xerxes. Xerxes granted the young
Protagoras instruction from the King’s priestly cult, the Magoi.
The Magoi communed with the gods in secret and in public denied
any belief in the Divine. Later, when Protagoras stated that he
was perplexed about whether or not the gods existed, he was
ostracized and his books were burned. He said, “Concerning the
gods, I am not in a position to know whether or not they exist,
or they do not exist; for there are many obstacles in the way of
such knowledge, notably the intrinsic obscurity of the subject
and the shortness of human life.” Protagoras had a close
personal relationship with Pericles, as demonstrated by the
following story. A pen