In Ancient Greece sophists were teachers who taught virtue, which in those days generally meant the art of statesmanship, to young men rich enough to afford their services. Sophistry, as their art was called, is a trade much criticized in the dialogues of Plato, where Socrates attacks not only the practice of teaching for a […]
They say the more audacious the lie, the more people are likely to believe it. Combine this truism with the fact that human beings prefer to move in herds (i.e. “go with the flow”), and you have some pretty interesting societal norms that develop over time. Now add one more interesting factoid to the equation: […]
