sophist

Plato does not really mean to say that the Sophist or the Statesman can be caught in this way.

The seller of the arts may be called an art-seller; the seller of virtue, a Sophist.

The Sophist, then, has not real knowledge; he is only an imitator, or image-maker.

And this is Plato's reply, both in the Cratylus and Sophist.

And the Sophist also uses illusions, and his imitations are apparent and not real.

And Plato does not on this ground reject the claim of the Sophist to be the true philosopher.

There is little worthy of remark in the characters of the Sophist.

And now by the help of this example we may proceed to bring to light the nature of the Sophist.

But the Sophist is the Proteus who takes the likeness of all of them; all other deceivers have a piece of him in them.

Again, there is a third line, in which a Sophist may be traced.