Due to Plato, "sophist" has a negative connotation. Yet taking it in its fullest sense of instructors of the youth for public life, fifth century Athens was teaming with sophists:
- Protagoras of Abdera
Gorgias of Leontini
Antiphon
Prodicus of Ceos
Cratylus
Hippias of Elis
Alcidamas (who ironically wrote "Against the Sophists")
Thrasymachus of Chalcedon
During the fourth century, Isocrates wrote his own "Against the Sophists", and Plato named many of his dialogues after the Sophist he pits Socrates against. Antisthenes wrote On the Sophists, perhaps relating to Zopyrus. Aristotle is reputed to have criticized Isocrates' school of rhetoric. Yet Plato was dueling with sophists from at least two generations older than his students. Even Epicurus writing a generations later than Aristotle is still writing Against the Sophists.
Plato consciously filtered much mention of his rival socratic followers from his dialogues: Antisthenes, Aeschines and Aristippus. But what of the non-socratics teachers in Athens?
What is the list of fourth century sophists/teachers that Isocrates and Plato as "philosophers" felt the need to write diatribes against?