Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. V, 1950 Philosophy Particular problems and topics

Eristics

ERISTICA

Italian original Cite

ERISTICS. - It is the art of disputation (ἐκέω "I contend") with the aim of overpowering one's opponent; it is commonly said that eristic is a degeneration of sophistry, but already Protagoras, on the hypothesis that no objective truth exists, taught the way to make the worse argument prevail over the better: τὸν ἥττα λόγον χιέλτα ποιεῖν (some deny any connection between Protagoras' doctrine and eristic, e.g. A. Viale, Studi su Protagora, Gubbio 1942, p. 7 ff.).

Eristic was practically developed in the Megarian school by Eubulides and Alexinus with a series of captious arguments, e.g. the liar (ὁ ψευδόμενος): if you are a liar and you say you are lying, at the same time you lie and you tell the truth.

Bibliography

BIBL.: Überweg, I, 12th ed., pp. 155-56. Andrea Ferro

About this entry

By Andrea Ferro

How we know signed in print

Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. V (1950), col. 497.

More by Andrea Ferro: Erdmann, Benno · Heraclitus of Ephesus · Herveus Natalis of Nedellec (also known as Herveus Brito, i.e., of Brittany) · Empedocles of Agrigento · Emanatism

Cite this article

Chicago

Ferro, Andrea. “Eristica.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. V, col. 497. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950. https://azioneromana.com/article/eristica.

MLA

Ferro, Andrea. “Eristica.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. V, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950, col. 497. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/eristica.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec5_eristica,
  author    = {Ferro, Andrea},
  title     = {Eristica},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {V},
  pages     = {497},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1950},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/eristica}
}

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.