The paper argues for an analytic interpretation of Protagoras’ myth in Plato’s dialogue by showing that its goal is not so much to reconstruct the origins of civilization as to identify some essential features of humankind. Against the widespread opinion that human progress depends on the development of technai, Protagoras claims that political art is the most important one, insofar as it is the condition for the existence of society. More concretely, the emphasis on the political art also serves to bring light to what is distinctive of Protagoras as opposed to the other sophists and poets. As clearly shown in the dialogue, Protagoras can thus present himself as the only teacher who is capable of imparting the teachings suited to the needs of the new world of the polis.

本文主张对柏拉图对话中的普罗泰戈拉神话进行分析解释，表明其目标与其说是重建文明的起源，不如说是确定人类的一些基本特征。与人类进步取决于技术发展的普遍观点相反，普罗泰戈拉声称政治艺术是最重要的，因为它是社会存在的条件。更具体地说，对政治艺术的强调也有助于揭示普罗泰戈拉与其他诡辩家和诗人相比的独特之处。正如对话中清楚地表明的那样，普罗泰戈拉因此可以将自己展示为唯一能够传授适合城邦新世界需要的教义的老师。