meaning - Are words "Sophisticated" and "Sophism" logically connected?


I am not a native English speaker. The other day, I've had a conversation with an American, who claims my assumption to be wrong. I still think I am correct, so here it is:


According to Wikipedia, the word sophism has the meaning of "a specious argument used for deceiving someone". I read this as "something twisted enough to get the other person to lose your line of argument and just believe you".


And we have, from what I believe, a word sophisticated, which has a meaning of "elegant", "complex".


I think that they both derive from the same root because they mean the same thing. Sophism is a complex structure of logical conclusions, whereas sophisticated is something so complex, that it is most likely to be a sophism, despite the fact that it has a slightly different meaning in modern English.


Is my assumption of these two words having the same roots and meaning practically the same thing correct?



Answer



I think you’re on the right track. It is evident that the words are of the same origin. However, in terms of connotation, they have gone in separate directions. Take the word hypocrite, for example. On the one hand, we would tend to collocate hypocrite with specious, false, and sophism.


Yet looked at literally, being sophisticated is synonymous with being a hypocrite. That is, if we understand both as the possession of refined education (as found among courtiers) and devoid of naïveté.


One who is naïve will hardly be considered sophisticated or a hypocrite. Whereas it is a mark of sophistication to be a hypocrite (in the literal sense, as demonstrated by courtiers). Hiding one's true motives and feelings is both a mark of hypocrisy and sophistication. Only the naïve (those lacking in sophistication / hypocrisy / sophism) think it wise (the root meaning of the term — Sophia (Σοφíα, Greek for wisdom) to show true feelings and motivations at all times.


Who among us would question the wisdom of deception, at times?


So, the bottom line is that your conclusion is correct. It’s just that in the one case, the negative is emphasized, while in the other positive aspects are given greater weight: true hypocrisy in its literal sense.


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