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Full Idea
He says that the gods worshipped by men neither exist nor have knowledge, but that the ancients exalted crops and everything else which is useful for life.
Gist of Idea
He denied the existence of the gods, saying they are just exaltations of things useful for life
Source
Prodicus (fragments/reports [c.423 BCE]), quoted by Anon (Herc) - fragments 1428 19.12
Book Ref
'The First Philosophers', ed/tr. Waterfield,Robin [OUP 2000], p.250
| 1543 | He denied the existence of the gods, saying they are just exaltations of things useful for life [Prodicus] |
| 1554 | Contradiction is impossible, since only one side of the argument refers to the true facts [Prodicus, by Didymus the Blind] |
| 1555 | People used to think anything helpful to life was a god, as the Egyptians think the Nile a god [Prodicus] |
| 535 | The gods are just personified human benefits [Prodicus] |