What is a Sophism in Rhetoric?

A plausible but fallacious argument, or deceptive argumentation in general.In rhetorical studies, sophism refers to the argumentative strategies practiced and taught by the Sophists. Etymology: From the Greek, "wise, clever" Examples and Observations: "When a false argument puts on the appearance of a true one, then it is properly called a sophism or fallacy."(Isaac Watts, Logic, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth, 1724)"It is too often that sophism is mistaken for sheer falseness, or even more annoying, for paradox. . . . When logical incorrectness . . . is aimed at deceiving we are dealing with a sophism (abuse of intelligence)."(Henri Wald, Introduction to Dialectical Logic. John Benjamins, 1975) Sophism in Ancient Greece "Because of their developed ability to argue either side of a case, the Sophists' students were powerful contestants in the popular debating contests of their day, and also were highly successful advocates in court. The dialectical method was emp...