Introducing...

...the Sophilosopher, a modern practitioner of sophilosophy, the practice of intertwining sophism and philosophy.

Who is the Sophilosopher? What is sophilosophy? Herein he defines both within the scope of his personal world view. Be forewarned, the conclusions reached by the following definitions are his and subject to dispute; the truths are relative. They are nonetheless true to him.

Read, and learn:
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Sophism (n) - In Ancient Greece, the sophists were a group of teachers of philosophy and rhetoric. Sophos or sophia were words of Greek origin meaning wisdom, or one with expertise within a specific domain. These words later evolved to mean a general wisdom about human affairs, including politics and ethics.

During the times of great philosophers (Socrates in particular), the sophists by comparison were greedy blasphemers.

Regardless, those times have changed.

Many sophists held a relativistic view on cognition and knowledge. Their system of beliefs contains criticism of religion, law, and ethics. One could make the argument that such relativity is shallow and without meaning, holding no truth.

Isn't it better to consider such critical thinking of relative sciences to lead to better affirmation of such beliefs?

Aren't the best held theories and beliefs able to stand up for themselves against the onslaught of criticism and study?

The sophists were also desired in the world of politics for the art of rhetoric. This style, derided by many in the age of sophism, is now obvious and prevalent in political society. To be able to debate, to dispute--yes, even to doublespeak--are now considered both virtue and vice in public oration. The sophists knew this, and practiced the art of rhetoric accordingly.

From this came the ability to analyze and argue both sides of an argument. Further, from this came the desire to win an argument...often by any means necessary. It is easy to assume that this makes a sophist inherently insincere in their argument. However, this writer begs a different interpretation.

There exists (subject to interpretations, opinions, and world views) a right and a wrong to any affirmation, theory, stance, speech, policy, and sentence. However, it is safe to assume that between these stark blacks and whites there exists a wide range of gray. It is the skill, the duty of every sophist to represent this gray zone.

There exist infinite shades of gray in the real world. A sophist exists to ensure the blacks and the whites are convinced of this.

Ergo...

Sophism (n) - The artful practice of rhetoric, discussion, and debate fueled by insight, intellect, and an open mind.
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Philosophy (n) - Philosophy has many different meanings for many different people, perhaps as it should. It is derived from the Greek philosophia, meaning the love of wisdom. There are countless definitions of philosophy, countless schools of research, countless areas of discussion. It is probably best explained as a collective system of rational thinking and seeking answers. In fact, the concept of philosophy is incredibly vast and diverse, but can arguably be boiled down as a given collective of particular perceived truths.

Sure, that's an oversimplification, but why make this introduction longer than necessary?

One's personal philosophy is one's collection of perceived truths. One has to stress the word "perceived" because new truths are constantly being discovered, debunked, described, and delivered as the years roll by.

A philosopher is a finder of the answer to a question. In a field of gray, it is a philosopher's job to define the black and the white. They concern themselves not with relativity, whether their discovery is agreeable, or even whether the world cares.

Philosophy (n) - The constant act of defining reality; what is truth and what is fiction.
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Now that we've got that pedantic preaching aside, we can answer the question: what is sophilosophy? Well, it's a combination of sophism and philosophy, the errant offspring of the two.

1. Sophilosophy is the protection of the doubt that cushions truth. When a zealot is sure he is right, he will never be aware of his wrongs.

2. Sophilosophy is the reconciliation of two truths that contradict. Whether God makes the sun rise, Apollo careens across the sky, or Earth orbits a gaseous celestial body: the sun still rises every morning.

3. Sophilosophy is the bulwark against which truth is either strengthened or destroyed. A sophilosopher is able and willing to attack even the truths they believe, for a strong truth will survive and the weak truths will fall to such scrutiny.

4. Sophilosophy is the understanding that the gray exists for a reason and it should be defended. When everyone is passive and sure, the pool of ideas will grow stagnant. A sophilosopher actively petitions the unsure, forcing them to constantly struggle for their own ideas.

5. Sophilosophy is the acknowledgment that one set of a sophilosopher's rules will probably not apply to anyone else, as well as the acknowledgment that the list is subject to change.

6. Sophilosophy is the evolution of truth, ideas, and society at large.
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This blog is one self-described sophilosopher's outlook on life. He makes no promises, no claims to greatness, no clamor for profit or readership. He simply hopes to stand quietly on his soapbox and say what needs to be said about whatever he happens to notice. He trusts in advance that you'll understand, and doesn't care if you fail to.