During the 5th century BC, a new group of intellectual teachers emerged in Athens. These teachers, called Sophists, (meaning "those who are wise") were considered "professional teachers", as they earned money by selling their knowledge. Sophists used their intellect and rhetorical skill to persuade others. Protagoras, a leading sophist, concluded that there could be no absolute truths or eternal standards of right and wrong. The perception of right and wrong can only create one truth for an individual. Some people thought that these teachings would allow people to “rationalize monstrous acts of brutality,” and these ideas were “antidemocratic, atheistic, and anarchist.” Socrates (469-399 BC), an Athenian, challenged these ideas with his theory that “truth is real and that absolute standards exist.” He felt that "Athens was corrupted by the shameful doctrines of the sophists." Although Socrates did not formally write down his teachings, his student, Plato, created a written record through various plays and writings that incorporated many dialogues about Socrates. (Other students also provided additional written accounts, but Plato is most well known.) These writings showed the foundations of Socrates' philosophy. Socrates “focused his attention on ethics rather than on the study of the physical world.” He urged people to consider their actions and how they affected not only themselves, but also those around them and society. From this belief was born one of Socrates' most memorable phrases: "The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates believed that people should act ethically not only for their own benefit, but also for the betterment of others and their society. Seeing how the sophists used rhetoric to make money… middle of paper… in a nutshell). Regarding politics, Aristotle focused not on the self but on society. A political community was a group of people working together for the common good of the people. When people did good works together, they were at their best and happiest. From this observation Aristotle coined the phrase “man is by nature a political animal”. While Aristotle believed this to be about politics and communal nature, he did not believe that barbarians or women should have a role in the polis, essentially stating that these classes of people are not "humans". Socrates and Aristotle can both be considered founding fathers of the philosophy of Western civilization. Their observation and questions provided the foundation for philosophical debate, discussion, and change from their ancient Greek lifestyles through learning about ourselves today..