Who is considered the center figure of the Sophists?

Protagoras is regarded as the central figure of the Sophists primarily because of his significant contributions to the development of rhetorical and philosophical thought during the fifth century BCE. He is famously associated with the claim that "man is the measure of all things," highlighting the Sophistic belief in relativism and subjectivity. This notion suggests that truth can vary based on individual perspectives and contexts, making Protagoras a pivotal representative of the Sophistic movement, which emphasized argumentation and debate as means to understand and convey truth. His teachings focused on skills related to persuasion and ethics, fundamentally shaping the educational practices of the time. This emphasis on human experience and perception as central to understanding knowledge distinguishes Protagoras as a key figure among the Sophists.