在西方哲學史上黑格爾是第一個公開出來為詭辯術唱讚歌的。他在《哲學史講義》中說：“希臘應該為這個（詭辯）文化感謝詭辯術師，因為是他們教導人們如何具有權威性地運用思考，因此他們的文化對於哲學來說就如同對於如何流暢地表達一樣（Greece has to thank the Sophists for this culture, because they taught men to exercise thought as to what should have authority for them, and thus their culture was culture in philosophy as much as in eloquence.）”在他的《曆史哲學講義》中，他更是作進一步謳歌詭辯術師：“正是詭辯術師 –‘智慧之師‘智慧之師’ –首先引入主觀反思以及教導人們應該按照自己的意願行事的教義。一旦反思發揮效用，真正的探索才得以開始，不論作為法則的原則是否能得到改進（It was the Sophists — the “Teachers of Wisdom” — who first introduced subjective reflection, and the new doctrine that each man should act according to his own conviction. When reflection once comes into play, the inquiry is started whether the Principles of Law (das Recht) cannot be improved.）”
他而且是明知故犯，也就是說他明知詭辯術的負麵性，仍然推崇詭辯術。他說（《哲學史講義》）：“詭辯術當然是個惡名昭彰的詞，實際上，特別是通過與蘇格拉底和柏拉圖的對立，詭辯術師們已經聲名狼藉，這個詞現在通常表明，通過錯誤的推理，使得真理被駁回或被質疑，或者某些錯誤被證明是合理的。 我們必須把這一邪惡的意義放在一邊，而忘記它。 另一方麵，我們現在希望從積極和適當的科學角度進一步考慮詭辯術師們在希臘具有什麽樣的地位。（Sophistry is certainly a word of ill-repute, and indeed it is particularly through the opposition to Socrates and Plato that the Sophists have come into such disrepute that the word usually now signifies that, by false reasoning, some truth is either refuted and made dubious, or something false is proved and made plausible. We have to put this evil significance on one side and to forget it. On the other hand, we now wish to consider further from the positive and properly speaking scientific side, what was the position of the Sophists in Greece.）”
With such reasoning men can easily get so far as to know (where they do not, it is owing to the want of education — but the Sophists were very well educated) that if arguments are relied upon, everything can be proved by argument, and arguments for and against can be found for everything…In the crime of desertion in time of war, there is, for example, the duty of self-preservation. Similarly in more modern times the greatest crimes, assassination, treachery, &c., have been justified.
另一方麵他又用今天的人們（他那個時候的今天，比2019年的今天要保守得多）的行為來替他們辯護：
If sophistry is bad in the sense that it signifies a quality of which only bad men are guilty, it is at the same time much more common than this would imply; for all argumentative reasoning, adducing of arguments and counterarguments, bringing into prominence particular points of view, is sophistry. And just as utterances of the Sophists are adduced against which nothing can be said (as they are by Plato), men of our day are urged to all that is good for the very reasons that are reasons to the Sophists. Thus it is said, “do not cheat, else you lose your credit, hence your wealth,” or, “be temperate, or you will spoil your appetite and have to suffer.” Or for punishment men give the external reasons of improvement, &c.; or else an action is defended on external grounds taken from the result.。。。Sophistry thus does not lie so far from us as we think. When educated men discuss matters now-a-days, it may seem all very good, but it is in no way different from what Socrates and Plato called sophistry — although they themselves have adopted this standpoint as truly as did the Sophists.
1）對於原文中的“When reflection once comes into play, the inquiry is started whether the Principles of Law (das Recht) cannot be improved.”這段話裏的“Principles of Law”，直譯可以是“律法原則”，我不知他人是如何翻譯的，我將之譯為“作為法則的原則”，因為從他的通篇討論我感覺是在矮化作為我們文明的基本準則的東西的重要性，而在強調說，如果沒有反思，根本就不會有真正的探索，所以也談不上對那些準則的提高。。。他這是在詭辯與柏拉圖的對立中明確選邊站。
在西方哲學史上黑格爾是第一個公開出來為詭辯術唱讚歌的。他在《哲學史講義》中說：“希臘應該為這個（詭辯）文化感謝詭辯術師，因為是他們教導人們如何具有權威性地運用思考，因此他們的文化對於哲學來說就如同對於如何流暢地表達一樣（Greece has to thank the Sophists for this culture, because they taught men to exercise thought as to what should have authority for them, and thus their culture was culture in philosophy as much as in eloquence.）”在他的《曆史哲學講義》中，他更是作進一步謳歌詭辯術師：“正是詭辯術師 –‘智慧之師‘智慧之師’ –首先引入主觀反思以及教導人們應該按照自己的意願行事的教義。一旦反思發揮效用，真正的探索才得以開始，不論作為法則的原則是否能得到改進（It was the Sophists — the “Teachers of Wisdom” — who first introduced subjective reflection, and the new doctrine that each man should act according to his own conviction. When reflection once comes into play, the inquiry is started whether the Principles of Law (das Recht) cannot be improved.）”
他而且是明知故犯，也就是說他明知詭辯術的負麵性，仍然推崇詭辯術。他說（《哲學史講義》）：“詭辯術當然是個惡名昭彰的詞，實際上，特別是通過與蘇格拉底和柏拉圖的對立，詭辯術師們已經聲名狼藉，這個詞現在通常表明，通過錯誤的推理，使得真理被駁回或被質疑，或者某些錯誤被證明是合理的。 我們必須把這一邪惡的意義放在一邊，而忘記它。 另一方麵，我們現在希望從積極和適當的科學角度進一步考慮詭辯術師們在希臘具有什麽樣的地位。（Sophistry is certainly a word of ill-repute, and indeed it is particularly through the opposition to Socrates and Plato that the Sophists have come into such disrepute that the word usually now signifies that, by false reasoning, some truth is either refuted and made dubious, or something false is proved and made plausible. We have to put this evil significance on one side and to forget it. On the other hand, we now wish to consider further from the positive and properly speaking scientific side, what was the position of the Sophists in Greece.）”
