different between sophistry vs obscurantism

English

Etymology

From Old French sophistrie, from Latin sophista, from Ancient Greek ???????? (sophist?s, “wise man”), from ?????? (sophíz?, “I am wise”), from ????? (sophós, “wise”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s?.f?.st?i/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?s?.f?.st?i/

Noun

sophistry (countable and uncountable, plural sophistries)

1. (uncountable) Cunning, sometimes manifested as trickery.
   • "Such conduct is at any rate not sophistical, if Aristotle be right in describing sophistry as the art of making money." 1844 - Søren Kierkegaard in Philosophical Fragments (Philosophiske Smuler eller En Smule Philosophi)
2. (uncountable) The art of using deceptive speech or writing.
3. (countable) An argument that seems plausible, but is fallacious or misleading, especially one devised deliberately to be so.

Related terms

• Sophia
• sophism
• sophist
• sophistication

Translations

See also

• demagogy
• rhetoric

English

Etymology

From Latin obsc?rans, present participle of obsc?r? (“cover, darken, obscure”) +? -ism.

Noun

obscurantism (countable and uncountable, plural obscurantisms)

1. A state of opposition to human progress or enlightenment.
2. Deliberate obscurity or vagueness.

Related terms

• obscurantist
• obscuration
• obscure
• obscurity

Translations

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French obscurantisme.

Noun

obscurantism n (uncountable)

1. obscurantism

Declension

Related terms

• obscur
• obscurantist
• obscuritate