What is "euthydemus"

Euthydemus may refer to:

Euthydemus was a tyrant of the ancient Greek city-state of Sicyon in the 3rd century BC. He ruled jointly with Timocleidas, but the two were deposed by the citizens of Sicyon. They replaced Euthydemus and Timocleidas with Cleinias, although the historian Plutarch believed that Timocleidas ruled jointly with Cleinias.

Euthydemus (, Euthydemos), written c. 384 BCE, is a dialogue by Plato which satirizes what Plato presents as the logical fallacies of the Sophists. In it, Socrates describes to his friend Crito a visit he and various youths paid to two brothers, Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, both of whom were prominent Sophists from Chios and Thurii.

The Euthydemus contrasts Socratic argumentation and education with the methods of Sophism, to the detriment of the latter. Throughout the dialogue, Euthydemus and Dionysodorus continually attempt to ensnare Socrates with what are presented as deceptive and meaningless arguments, primarily to demonstrate their professed philosophical superiority.

As in many of the Socratic dialogues, the two Sophists against whom Socrates argues were indeed real people. Euthydemus was somewhat famous at the time the dialogue was written, and is mentioned several times by both Plato and Aristotle. Likewise, Dionysodorus is mentioned by Xenophon.