STRANGER: And of disputation, that sort which is only a discussion about

contracts, and is carried on at random, and without rules of art, is

recognized by the reasoning faculty to be a distinct class, but has

hitherto had no distinctive name, and does not deserve to receive one

from us.

THEAETETUS: No; for the different sorts of it are too minute and

heterogeneous.

STRANGER: But that which proceeds by rules of art to dispute about

justice and injustice in their own nature, and about things in general,

we have been accustomed to call argumentation (Eristic)?

THEAETETUS: Certainly.

STRANGER: And of argumentation, one sort wastes money, and the other

makes money.

THEAETETUS: Very true.

STRANGER: Suppose we try and give to each of these two classes a name.

THEAETETUS: Let us do so.

STRANGER: I should say that the habit which leads a man to neglect his

own affairs for the pleasure of conversation, of which the style is

Sophist