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Protagoras (; (ギリシア語:Πρωταγόρας); c. 490 – c. 420 BC)〔Guthrie, p. 262–263.〕 was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and is numbered as one of the sophists by Plato. In his dialogue, ''Protagoras'', Plato credits him with having invented the role of the professional sophist. He also is believed to have created a major controversy during ancient times through his statement that, "Man is the measure of all things", interpreted by Plato to mean that there is no absolute truth, but that which individuals deem to be the truth. Although there is reason to question the extent of the interpretation of his arguments that has followed, that concept of individual relativity was revolutionary for the time, and contrasted with other philosophical doctrines that claimed the universe was based on something objective, outside of human influence or perceptions. ==Background== Protagoras was born in Abdera, Thrace, in Ancient Greece. According to Aulus Gellius, he originally made his living as a porter, but one day he was seen by the philosopher Democritus carrying a load of small pieces of wood he had tied with a short cord. Democritus realized that Protagoras had tied the load together with such perfect geometric accuracy that he must be a mathematical prodigy. Democritus promptly took him into his own household and taught him philosophy.〔Aulus Gellius, ''Noctes Atticae'', V.iii.〕 Protagoras became well known in Athens and even became a friend of Pericles.〔O'Sullivan, Neil. (1995) "Pericles and Protagoras". ''Greece & Rome'', Vol. 42 (1): 15-23〕 The dates of his lifetime are not recorded, but extrapolated from writings that have survived the ages. In ''Protagoras'' Plato wrote that, before a gathering of Socrates, Prodicus, and Hippias, Protagoras stated that he was old enough to be the father of any of them. This suggests a birth date of not later than 490 BC. In the ''Meno'' he is said to have died at approximately the age of 70, after 40 years as a practicing Sophist.〔Plato, ''Meno'', 91e〕 His death, then, may be presumed to have occurred circa 420 BC. Plutarch wrote that Pericles and Protagoras spent a whole day discussing an interesting point of legal responsibility, that probably involved a more philosophical question of causation:〔Guthrie, p. 263.〕 "In an athletic contest a man had been accidentally hit and killed with a javelin. Was his death to be attributed to the javelin, to the man who threw it, or to the authorities responsible for the conduct of the games?"〔Plutarch, ''Life of Pericles''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Protagoras」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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