Prodicus of Keos. Fragments and Testimonia

Prodicus of Ceos was rightfully considered one of the most famous sophists of his time. His interest in language learning, which resulted in a method of comparing synonymous words to determine their exact meaning and identify differences, may have been due to the skepticism of his contemporaries about what can be considered real as well as a form of moral relativism, arising from such views. One may say that Prodicus had a profound influence on Socrates, and his insistence on identifying differences between words of almost identical meaning prompted Socrates to adopt his own approach to philosophy, centered on precise definitions of various moral issues. The present publication contains a collection of scant doxographic evidence about Prodicus’ life and writings.